The NFL has changed its jersey number designation rules again, just a year after the first big shakeup in years. The single-digit No. 0 will be eligible for select players on offense and defense as well as some specialists for the 2023 season, but who should be wearing it for the New Orleans Saints?
Here’s the list of positions eligible for No. 0:
- Quarterbacks
- Punters
- Kickers
- Running backs
- Fullbacks
- Tight ends
- Wide receivers
- Linebackers
- Defensive backs
We can probably rule out established veterans in signature numbers like Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, Michael Thomas, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore, and Tyrann Mathieu, and it’s unlikely that Chris Olave will switch up on us so soon. Right now there are just two Saints players listed on the official team website’s roster without jersey numbers: wide receiver Bryan Edwards and kicker Alex Quevedo.
Edwards has used No. 89 (taken by Rashid Shaheed) in the NFL and in college, but he wore No. 4 (Derek Carr’s, of course) in high school. Quevedo used No. 34 in college and was initially signed No. 15 with the Saints before it was given to Kawaan Baker; he also wore No. 1 during rookie minicamp tryouts last summer, which is available again.
One good take we’ll credit first to Nola.com’s Terrin Waack is that Blake Gillikin should have first dibs on it, seeing as Derek Carr took the No. 4 he used to start his NFL career. Gillikin has already pivoted to No. 5, but he could easily make the switch if he’s interested.
The NCAA allowed student-athletes to wear No. 0 only in 2020, so there aren’t any players on the roster who have used it before in college. But there are many draft prospects coming up who could hold onto it in the NFL if they land with the Saints: Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, Boise State safety JL Skinner, Oklahoma running back Eric Gray, and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. among them. This question might not get answered until after the 2023 NFL draft.
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