When undrafted free agent, USFL MVP, and preseason sensation KaVontae Turpin finally takes the field in an NFL game that counts, he’ll be wearing the number made iconic by another longshot who also emerged from relative obscurity, one who went on to become a fan favorite, a household name, and a Cowboys legend.
Cowboys Nation, there’s a new No. 9 in Dallas.
Turpin will wear Tony Romo’s former jersey number, it was announced by the team last week. And while the wide receiver and kick return specialist isn’t the first Cowboys player to don No. 9 since Romo retired in 2016, the jersey assignment will no doubt raise some eyebrows. It also perhaps hints at the team’s lofty hopes for the speedster who has worked his way to America’s Team via nearby TCU, the IFL, the Fan Controlled Football League, the European League, and the USFL… all in the space of three years.
The Cowboys famously do not retire jersey numbers (a practice that helped lead the franchise to instead honor its all-time greats by placing their names in the stadium’s Ring of Honor), but there are certain digits that will almost certainly never be worn again. Bob Lilly’s No. 74, Roger Staubach’s No. 12, Troy Aikman’s No. 8, and Emmitt Smith’s No. 22, to be precise, have all gone unseen since those players ended their playing careers.
(Other numbers get passed down through the eras and have developed their own reputations in Cowboys history; No. 88 has a life of its own with Dallas’s high-profile wide receivers. Nos. 54, 94, and 19 are often similarly bestowed upon players thought to be deserving of carrying on their former wearers’ legacies.)
Despite his never reaching the pinnacle of NFL achievement by winning (or even going to) a Super Bowl, many fans believed that Romo’s unlikely rise to superstardom and elite level of play put his number in the previously-mentioned untouchable stratosphere within the organization. Even Team owner Jerry Jones often spoke of Romo in hushed and revered tones.
But when the league relaxed its rules regarding jersey numbers in early 2021, then-Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith lobbied to wear No. 9, as he had at Notre Dame.
At the time, Jones hinted that the front office would “have to represent Romo on this side of the table to determine how much it’s worth,” adding, “We are very aware of what happens relative to the personality’s identification with a number. It’s not frivolous.”
Smith did switch to No. 9 after reportedly paying a six-figure amount to buy back the existing stock of merchandise featuring his old No. 54. Smith lasted just four games in his new number in 2021 before being released by the Cowboys.
Perhaps with the shine somewhat worn off of the No. 9 by that point, kicker Lirim Hajrullahu wore it during this year’s training camp. He was released in August in the team’s second round of camp cuts.
NFL rules allow a jersey number to be shared by multiple personnel on a team during the crowded training camp and preseason, provided that the players are not both on the same unit. If both players make the final 53-man roster, someone has to be issued a new jersey to make all active players unique by number.
Turpin wore No. 2 in camp but shared the jersey with cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Lewis had worn Nos. 27 and 26 for Dallas previously but switched to the single digit back in March.
Rookie Dennis Houston is also in line for a number change; he had been sporting No. 3 during camp. Cornerback Anthony Brown had swapped his old No. 30 for No. 3 in the spring.
Now after six years, No. 9 will be back in the Cowboys’ offensive huddle, as the electrifying Turpin- who had the NFL preseason’s only two kick returns for touchdowns- will also see reps at wide receiver with injuries to veterans Michael Gallup and James Washington forcing the team to look further down the depth chart for targets for quarterback Dak Prescott.
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