NFL rule change could see Titans stars go back to their college numbers
By Will Lomas
Shuffling Titans jersey numbers.
A new rule change may mean that it is time for Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry to reclaim the number that he made famous at Alabama.
For decades, the NFL has forced players to pick their jersey numbers based on preset number ranges for their positions. Kansas City has reportedly submitted a proposal that would change that.
It isn’t complete autonomy for players and there are still numbers that we won’t see players be allowed to have, but it is a step in the right direction for a rule that I think is outdated.
The #Chiefs proposal to expand the use of single-digit numbers is likely to pass when owners vote later this month, per @peter_king. 24 votes are needed.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 5, 2021
This would be the updated look:
QB, K, P: 1-19
RB, TE, WR: 1-49, 80-89
DB: 1-49
LB: 1-59, 90-99
OL: 50-79
DL: 50-79, 90-99
For the Titans, there are a couple of notable changes that could be made here. As you can guess by what you have read so far, I wish they would let Derrick Henry put the #2 jersey on again and let him become the best player in NFL history to wear that number.
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According to CBS, that title belongs to Matt Ryan, but come on…we all know that would instantly become Derrick Henry’s number.
A.J. Brown has already posted about this and briefly seemed to consider moving back into the #1 jersey that he wore in college. Honestly, given how the Titans have basically decided to build the entire WR room around him, there has never been a more fitting time for him to technically become WR1 in every sense of the word.
Another number change I could see is Harold Landry going back to #7. He was the NCAA’s sack leader in that jersey and since the NFL refuses to define the EDGE position, he can pass himself off as a “linebacker” technically.
A number change that everyone might miss would be Darrynton Evans moving on from #32 and putting on his #3 jersey from college. And speaking of 2020 rookies, if A.J. Brown didn’t want to take over the #1, then Kristian Fulton and Darryton Evans could both take a mulligan on injury-riddled rookie seasons and re-debut with single-digit numbers.
Going back to the old Deion Sanders quote, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.” so maybe the former rookies should strongly consider a change if this rule passes. In a game like football where the slightest mental edge can be the difference between average starter and Pro Bowler, this change might actually matter.