Getty Jamie Collins during a Lions game against Washington.
The Detroit Lions have a brand new roster that has been turned over in a major way this offseason, and as part of that turnover, there are plenty of different players with different numbers to catch up on.
As the players come back into town, the team has provided a look at who is wearing what in terms of numbers at this point in time, and there’s been a significant amount of change.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
Here’s a look at all of the new numbers in their entirety:
#Lions by the #️⃣s
Detroit’s rookie class is completely official, and some of the veterans have switched things up for a new season as well in terms of the new threads. The reveal of the numbers is just one more step on the road to the 2021 season, and getting things going in between the lines.
Lions Notable Number Switches
The team didn’t have very many players take advantage of the league having a new number policy, but there were some notable exceptions on the list. Cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu is wearing 2, while cornerback Quinton Dunbar is wearing 1. It will be strange to see linebacker Jamie Collins wearing 8, and also perhaps a bit surprising to see Randy Bullock kicking in the number 4. Jason Hanson made that number his own during his time with the Lions which spanned a few decades. New wideout Tyrell Williams will be wearing 6, which is lowest of any pass catcher. Free agent addition Darren Fells will be wearing 80, which is lower than the 87 he wore the first time around.
Perhaps the biggest switch was already known about, with Jeff Okudah wearing 23, a number that Darius Slay used when he was with the team. Jared Goff will wear 16, while defensive tackle Michael Brockers will wear 91. Rookie Levi Onwuzurike will wear 75, a number made famous by Lomas Brown. New backup quarterback Tim Boyle will be wearing 12. The highest number on the team will be occupied by Julian Okwara, who will wear 99.
Lions Rookie Numbers Recap
All of the numbers that the rookies choose are subject to change at this point in time, but it seems that plenty are getting set in stone, especially after the rookie camp took place a few weeks ago. So far, here is a look at some of the numbers that have been spotted from the youngsters as they have taken to town and begun their transition to becoming NFL players.
Some Lions rookie numbers (via the ‘Gram):
Onwuzurike: 75
McNeil: 54
Melifonwu: 26
Jefferson: 28
Worth a reminder that rookies often change up after roster cutdown, when more numbers become available.
Plenty of things can still change before the season starts, so that grouping of numbers is merely tentative for the time being. Perhaps the most interesting will be wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown wearing 14.
As of now, these are the numbers the whole team is going to roll into the 2021 season with. Stay tuned for any future updates to this list, especially if the Lions add other free agents the rest of the offseason.