One of the things fans like to do is find out what jersey number newly acquired players of our favorite team are going to don. The Bengals could have a few players wearing new numbers this fall. The NFL is going to vote on a new rule introduced by the Kansas City Chiefs that would allow players to wear numbers in the single digits.
The current rule prevented skill position players to wear jersey numbers in the single digits. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has already staked his claim to the number five via Twitter.
There is a question on whether or not the NFL is going to waive the requirement that players must “buy out” their unsold jerseys before changing numbers. This was the case for WR John Ross in 2019 when he decided a change was necessary and went from number 15 to 11.
Spoiler alert! Turns out this was not the change that Ross needed to make. The potential rule change for single digit number is going to be very cool to see in its implementation on the field. Seeing Higgins in the new Cincinnati Bengals number five jersey, if it happens, is going to be stunning.
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
The rule change in single digit numbers is something that a lot of players around the league are likely to take advantage of. Multiple players changing numbers is going to prove financially beneficial for the NFL and its merchandising partners.
This is going to be especially so for the Cincinnati Bengals because they are headed into a season marketed with the hashtag new stripes and are expected to unveil their new jerseys, more than likely, sometime between now and the draft starting April 29th.
Another, more understated group of people who are certainly looking forward to exploiting this new rule for their financial advantage are kickers and punters. Congratulations Austin Seibert! There are going to be a few who will receive a financial incentive from teammates to change their jersey number.
Good for them. For once, kickers and punters will have the upper hand on position players. I guess one could say the shoe is on the other foot. This whole process is going to be fun to watch. Who wants which number? Which kicker and/or punter is going to get paid the most to give up their jersey number?
How is it going to look the first time we see an NFL linebacker make a bone-crushing hit while wearing the number three? As a Bengals fan, which number change are you most looking forward to seeing?