The Cleveland Browns are not your normal professional sports franchise.
Even with their continued lack of on-field success, the Browns are always at or near the top of the discussion across Northeast Ohio, much to the chagrin of fans of the area’s other more successful franchises.
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There is nothing wrong with that; this is a football town after all, but it can lead to stories gaining more relevance than they would deserve under normal circumstances.
Such was the case on Wednesday, when newly acquired defensive end (or is it linebacker?) Jared Verse stepped onto the practice field in Berea for the first time since arriving from the Los Angeles Rams as part of the Myles Garrett trade.
Verse was sporting the number 8 on his new white jersey, which just so happens to be the number worn by current quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Naturally, this turned into a talking point about what that means for Gabriel’s continued future with the Browns and whether or not a “controversy” was brewing in the locker room about who will ultimately claim the number.
Turns out, this is not all that big of a deal, as NFL rules allow two players to wear the same jersey number during the offseason. With teams generally carrying up to 90 players at this time of year, and with only so many numbers to go around, duplication can and will happen.
It also came to light on Friday, via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, that Gabriel is still wearing number 8 because the Browns are waiting for the NFL to approve a number change for Gabriel.
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Assuming the league office rubber-stamps that request, the discussion will then turn to what number Gabriel will be sporting in the future.
The league restricts jersey numbers based on a player’s primary position, with quarterbacks having their choice between 0 and 19. While the league has eased up on that in recent years, as evidenced by Verse wearing No. 8, those are the basic guidelines.
A look at Cleveland’s current roster reveals that every number between 0 and 19 is currently in use, with the exception of No. 14, which was retired in honor of Hall-of-Fame quarterback Otto Graham. Let’s go out on a limb and say that Gabriel will not be wearing No. 14 as long as he is a member of the Browns.
A few numbers could become available, however, as linebackers Quincy Williams (No. 5) and Justin Jefferson (No. 17), along with tight end Joe Royer (No. 18), could switch to a more traditional number for the position. And Cedric Tillman’s No. 19 could also become available depending on how training camp plays out for the veteran wide receiver.
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So while it is fun to talk about minor items like this, and we are aware of the irony of writing a story about this while simultaneously complaining that people overanalyze everything surrounding the Browns, the situation should resolve itself in due time.
Although it may not be a bad idea for Gabriel to start checking out to see what uniform numbers are available on some other teams, like the Atlanta Falcons, for example.
