Numbers game: 6 Browns select new uniform digits
By Thomas Moore
Aug 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Jamie Meder (66) during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Cleveland Browns defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Hopefully you haven’t dropped any coin on one of the Cleveland Browns’ redesigned uniforms just yet, Browns fans, as six players have switched uniform numbers.
Sporting new digits, according to the team’s website, are wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (No. 17), linebacker Nate Orchard (No. 44), fullback Malcolm Johnson (No. 42), defensive back Charles Gaines (No. 27), running back Glenn Winston (No. 28) and defensive lineman Jamie Meder (No. 98).
But before you put your scarlet-and-grey conspiracy hat on about Pryor wearing quarterback Brian Sipe’s old number, head coach Mike Pettine is here to set the record straight.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- 3 Cleveland Browns players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
“That was his personal preference. The players, if they want to request a number change go through (head equipment manager) Brad (Melland),” Pettine told the team’s website. “Brad will send me an email. As long as he’s not taking a number from somebody else. There’s was no positional versatility thinking behind that. He instituted the change. That did not come from the staff.”
Speaking of Pryor, Pettine reiterated once again on Wednesday that making the 53-man roster and actually seeing the field when the games count are two different things.
“Terrelle is here because he showed that promise and that potential, but again, I said once you make the 53 that you have to be a productive member of the team,” Pettine explained. “It’s hard to just have that be a project for a year. We are looking for the returns on that investment to be sooner than later.
“I think he’s shown that he’s capable of it, but for him, it’s about being consistent, knowing what to do, being available from a physical standpoint and then going out there and executing. He’s going to get every opportunity in practice to do that.”