Whether it's back by science or not, an NFL player's career can be projected by how good his jersey number is. The vibes are very rarely wrong here.
Imagine if Tom Brady was #2 instead of #12. You can't can you? It doesn't look right. What if Randy Moss was #86? Or if Barry Sanders was #43?! We better stop now before peeking too far in the uncanny valley.
We've now learned what jersey numbers the newest crop of Cincinnati Bengals players will be wearing. Let's see who chose right, and who is facing a tough climb out of the mud.
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Best Jersey Numbers
#71 - Amarius Mims, offensive tackle
This is a right tackle's number, through and through. #71 was La'el Collins' number, Riley Reiff's number, and Andre Smith's before either of them. Most importantly, it belonged to the best right tackle in modern football history, Willie Anderson. Need I say more?
Mims has the potential of an All-Pro tackle, and he's got the number to match.
#90 - Kris Jenkins, defensive tackle
The 90s are so jam-packed on the Bengals' roster that Jenkins had to get another player to switch out of his number. Travis Bell, whom the Bengals acquired on waivers during last season, was the original #90 entering the offseason. Now he's #53.
Any number in the 90s will work for a defensive tackle, and #90 is about as clean as they come. Good work by Jenkins to finesse it away from Bell.
#62 - Matt Lee, center
A low number in the 60s works best for an athletic interior offensive lineman, much like recently retired center Jason Kelce. It's a clean number for those specific positions only.
Lee comes into Cincinnati with elite movement skills and a clear path to make the initial roster. His future is only getting brighter with this number choice.
#84 - Tanner McLachlan, tight end
Most numbers in the 80s work for tight ends. #87 is obviously the golden standard, but the receiver-first type players look much better in the lower 80s. McLachlan is a natural receiver at the position who will be relied on for that aspect more than anything else.
#84 fits a smooth athlete who can catch and run down the field, ala Shannon and Sterling Sharpe. The greatest tight end in Bengals history, Bob Trumpy, was also #84. Strong history for McLachlan's archetype
Worst Jersey Numbers
#68 - McKinnley Jackson, defensive tackle
Nose tackles are a bit different than pass-rushing defensive tackles when it comes to numbers, but not so much were a high 60s number is tolerable. They gotta be in the 70s or 90s.
This is not a great start to Jackson's career.
33: Daijahn Anthony, safety
There weren't any numbers in the 20s for Anthony to take after Josh Newton snagged #28 so he was a bit out of luck here much like Jackson was with the 90s. Still, the 30s can be pretty bulgy for a player on the small side.
At the very least, it's not a number in the high 30s.
Bengals 2024 Draft Class Jersey Numbers
- #71 - Amarius Mims, offensive tackle
- #90 - Kris Jenkins, defensive tackle
- #81 - Jermaine Burton, wide receiver
- #68 - McKinnley Jackson, defensive tackle
- #83 - Erick All, tight end
- #28 - Josh Newton, cornerback
- #84 - Tanner McLachlan, tight end
- #52 - Cedric Johnson, edge defender
- #33 - Daijahn Anthony, safety
- #62 - Matt Lee, center
Related: 3 overreactions to the Cincinnati Bengals' 2024 NFL Draft class
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