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Forget everything else that will factor in to whether Emmanuel Sanders will succeed as a member of the New Orleans Saints. It doesn’t really matter that he’s upgrading from the likes of Joe Flacco and Case Keenum at quarterback to Drew Brees, the most-accurate passer of all time. It’s not like having Michael Thomas, Jared Cook, and Alvin Kamara on the field at the same time will create favorable looks in coverage. The fact of the matter is that Sanders must choose a great jersey number if he’s going to thrive with his new team. Everyone knows this.
Jokes aside: the two-time Pro Bowler figures to be a big part of the offense this year, and his charismatic persona should endear him to fans right away. We should see more than a few Sanders jerseys inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and around Champions Square this season. With the Saints front office quieting down a bit on the free agency front since agreeing to terms with Sanders on a two-year contract, we can take a few minutes to ponder which number he’ll be wearing in the fall.
Sanders has worn three numbers in the NFL: No. 10, No. 17 (which he also chose in college at SMU), and No. 88. Each of those numbers are currently designated for a player under contract for 2020, with wide receivers Tre’Quan Smith in No. 10 and Emmanuel Butler in No. 17; defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen converted to tight end last season and chose No. 88 (ironically because No. 89, his college number, belonged to tight end Josh Hill), though Loewen is still listed as No. 70 on the Saints website.
NFL rules stipulate that wide receivers may wear numbers between Nos. 10 and 19 as well as Nos. 80 through 89. Veteran players often work out deals with new teammates who own the number they wish to wear, but those agreements don’t always come to fruition. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Chris Godwin are figuring this out now, as luck would have it. But let’s assume none of those three Saints players agree to let Sanders have their number. What are his options?
Per the official Saints roster, Sanders is eligible for Nos. 12, 18, 19, 82, and 83. Of that bunch, No. 18 would make the most sense because it’s an amalgamation of two that he’s worn in the past (Nos. 10 and 88), and is close to his usual preference (No. 17). But he can certainly try to convince one of his new teammates to swap out.
As for other Saints free agent pickups:
- Safety Malcolm Jenkins has not chosen a number yet, but he wore No. 27 in his first five years in New Orleans and it’s available after being last worn by running back Dwayne Washington (currently an unrestricted free agent).
- Fullback Michael Burton wore No. 46 last summer with the Saints and immediately chose it again, which is a power move that you love to see.
- Wide receiver Tommylee Lewis quietly returned to the Saints on a reserve/future contract earlier this offseason and will wear No. 15, with his previous choices of Nos. 11 and 87 taken by returns specialist Deonte Harris and tight end Jared Cook, respectively.
That about wraps it up. One storyline to keep an eye out for is whether free safety Marcus Williams will switch back to No. 20, which he wore in college. It was unavailable when the Saints drafted him (thanks to cornerback Ken Crawley) and is currently worn by cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but maybe “Jackrabbit” would be willing to cut a deal with his rising-star teammate. Both players are entering the final years of their contracts, for what it’s worth, and maybe use the extra boost to their mojo that comes with a switch.
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