Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown announced on Wednesday that he will be switching jersey numbers. And he will indeed be switching back to the number he wore in college, No. 5.
Brown announced on Twitter that he will be switching back to No. 5, the number he made popular during his time at Oklahoma. Of course, this is also the number made famous by Joe Flacco in Baltimore.
No player has worn the No. 5 since Flacco left Baltimore following the 2018 season, and some believed that no Ravens player should ever wear that number again.
Evidently, that won’t be the case, as one of their most prominent players will be suiting up in Flacco’s old No. 5 this season.
https://twitter.com/Primetime_jet/status/1395107271504539649
Marquise Brown will now wear No. 5 with the Ravens
Brown is the second prominent Ravens player to announce that he’s switching jersey numbers this week after linebacker Patrick Queen officially switched over from No. 48 to No. 6.
Brown will also be switching from the No. 15 he wore in his first two NFL seasons to a single-digit, albeit with a little more “controversy.”
Following the NFL’s decision to allow all non-linemen to wear single-digit numbers, there were rumblings that Brown could look to switch back to the number he wore at Oklahoma.
The likes of Brown, Queen, and even DeShon Elliott expressed interest in changing jersey numbers. Two of those players have now followed through while Elliott will be sticking with his No. 32.
This discussion has been one of contention amongst Ravens fans since the NFL’s rule change was confirmed. Should Brown be allowed to switch to No. 5 or should it be retired out of respect for Flacco?
The Ravens opted for the former.
Brown is expected to play a significant role once again in 2021 after a successful 2020 campaign saw him finish with 58 catches for 769 yards and eight touchdowns.
The man they call “Hollywood” emerged as the Ravens’ go-to No. 1 receiver, a role he’s expected to supplant again this season.
The additions of Sammy Watkins, Rashod Bateman, and Tylan Wallace should hopefully take some of the weight off of Brown’s shoulders. Of course, there’s always the excellent Mark Andrews as well.
Marquise Brown will be looking to put together another career year in 2021. And he’ll attempt to do so wearing his old college jersey number.