Six Broncos players changed their number ahead of the season
The NFL 2023-24 regular season kickoff is around the corner. We are just days away from the season-opening game between the Broncos' division rival Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. Ahead of the Broncos' matchup at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, the team announced that six players changed their jersey numbers.
Before every season, following the 53-man deadline, some players on the active roster decide to change their jersey numbers, to a preferred one, most of the time to their college football number, or to a number they really like but were not available. Since 37 players are released/waived, there are more jersey-number options. Obviously, 16 players signed to the practice squad, but the players on the active roster have the priority to pick their numbers.
On Monday, it was announced that six players changed their jersey number. Let's take a look at these number changes ...
P Riley Dixon - from 19 to 9:
Riley Dixon returns to his old number, the number he wore during his first stint with the Denver Broncos. Wide receiver Kendall Hinton wore the number during minicamps, OTAs, training camp, and preseason. Since Hinton was waived, Dixon got his old number back. Dixon had the 12th most punts in the league, to be specific, 73, with an average of 48.4 yards per punt. His longest one was 67 yards, and 19 out of the 73 were inside the 20-yard mark.
WR Marvin Mims Jr. - from 83 to 19:
Marvin Mims, the Broncos' highest pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is switching his number, and not to his college number. At Oklahoma, he wore number 17, and now he will wear number 19, previously worn by Riley Dixon. Number 19 was also worn by receiver Eddie Royal during his time with the Broncos. Royal was also a second-round pick, like Mims. Royal as a rookie, led the NFL in receiving yards in week one, his first ever NFL game with 146, he also had a touchdown, and it was against the Raiders. Denver won that game, and now, they will open the season against the Raiders. Who knows, and maybe Mims has a wild debut, as Royal did back in 2008?
WR Tim Patrick - from 81 to 12:
Tim Patrick is out for the entire year for the second consecutive season, as he suffered a torn Achilles back in training camp. Despite him not playing this year, he is changing to the number he wore in college, number 12 to be specific. Patrick has worn number 81 with the Broncos since he was drafted. Number 12 was previously worn by Montrell Washington, who was waived after one season with the team. Maybe he switched to number 12 to be the 12th man for the Broncos, and cheering for his teammates? Who knows?
CB Tremon Smith - from 23 to 1:
Smith, another 2023 free agent signing is changing his number to number one, previously worn by KJ Hamler, who was waived with a non-football injury designation due to a heart condition. Smith did not look good in the preseason, but still made the roster, he can be a good special teams contributor. Smith wore the number one in his jersey last season with the Houston Texans, where he was the starting kick returner.
CB Fabian Moreau - from 36 to 23:
Moreau, who was signed by the Broncos ahead of preseason, is changing his jersey number from 36 to 23, previously worn by Tremon Smith. There is no specific reason why he changed to 23 because he has never used that number in the NFL, and back in his college days at UCLA, Fabian wore number 10.
CB Ja'Quan McMillian - from 35 to 29:
Another cornerback with a jersey number change. McMillian looked good in preseason and earned a roster spot. McMillian wore number twenty-one back in college, where he attended East Carolina. There is no specific reason why he chose the number 29.
Which jersey number change do you like the most?