An NFL rule change loosening the restrictions on which players can wear single-digit numbers means Cincinnati Bengals players could have fresh new numbers as soon as next season.
Star safety Jessie Bates, for example, has already hinted he wants a new number.
This makes for a pretty interesting situation with potential draft targets at fifth overall, too. Take LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, for example — he wore No. 1 in college and that’s now something he can don in the pros if he wants to do so.
And as Jay Morrison of The Athletic astutely pointed out, no player has ever worn that number for the Bengals:
Currently available single-digit jerseys for the #Bengals
1*
2
4
5
6
7* No. 1 has never been assigned to a Bengals player. Ja'Marr Chase wore No. 1 at LSU. https://t.co/MIZs6thB5U
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) April 21, 2021
So Chase would be the first, though for what it’s worth, he was going to switch to No. 7 for the 2020 season before opting out. Maybe he’d prefer No. 7 in the pros, but he never really got to write that chapter of his career, so maybe he’ll default back to No. 1.
If the Bengals make him the pick at fifth overall, he’d reunite with Joe Burrow and run routes alongside Tee Higgins, the new No. 85 in Cincinnati who doesn’t plan on changing his number.
