Getty Marquise Brown on the field against Tennessee.
The Baltimore Ravens, like the rest of the NFL, saw a brand new rules proposal and their players are wasting little time making use of it.
Now, defenders and wideouts are no longer limited to high jersey numbers, and can make a quick change ahead of the 2021 season. A pair of Baltimore players have taken the league up on this rule and elected to switch their numbers. Wideout Marquise Brown and linebacker Patrick Queen have switched up their numbers ahead of the 2021 season to go with much lower digits.
Here’s a look at the new threads:
New numbers for @Patrickqueen_ & @Primetime_jet ❗️
Brown is switching from 15, while Queen will trade in the 48 jersey he wore for the Ravens as a rookie. Seeing players at these spots sporting low numbers in the NFL will take some getting used to, but it could be the new norm with plenty of players appreciating the lower numbers from their time in college.
It will be the first time a Ravens player has worn the 5 jersey since Joe Flacco, who captured a Super Bowl with that number. Obviously, it will be an adjustment to see the different numbers in use, but it’s par for the course in a changing NFL landscape year to year.
Queen’s Rookie Stats Impressive
Coming into the NFL as a rookie is tough business for anyone in terms of adjusting, but Queen handled things about as well as possible during the 2020 season. As a rookie, Queen managed to be statistically solid, putting up 106 total tackles, 3 sacks and 1 interception. He was remarkably steady at the position for a young player, and ended up being very solid as a defender in the scheme for a rookie.
At this point, the NFL arrow is pointing up in a big way for Queen. He made the 48 jersey his own, but if he wants to transition back to his college number, that is fine as well considering how well he played while at LSU before joining the Ravens last season.
Brown’s Stats With Ravens
This past season, folks were looking for a huge year out of Brown considering he was healthy and made plays as a rookie, but like many on the Baltimore offense, he struggled in a big way during the 2020 season to make things happen consistently. Last year, Brown had only 769 yards and 8 touchdowns to his credit. Worse, he hasn’t made the game breaking plays he has made in the past which made him look like a potential number one wideout in the making.
So far in his career, Brown has put up 1,353 yards and 15 scores. Those numbers are decent, but it’s likely not the big impact that the Ravens had hoped for when they picked him in the draft, which led the team to continue to search for weaponry this offseason at the position.
Now, with a brand new number, the hope is Brown can turn over a brand new leaf within the offense and transform his game along with Queen.
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