Back in March, the NFL announced a very saucy news when the league confirmed that franchise owners had approved a proposal to "to allow players to wear the number zero."
This is the first season since the NFL standardized jersey numbers by position group all the way back in 1973, according to ESPN. With that change came multiple uniform number flips, and that also meant that some digits were left open for others to take on.
Here's a list of Baltimore Ravens players that have changed their uniform numbers from 2022 to 2023, including the first no. 0 in the history of the Ravens Flock: superstar linebacker Roquan Smith, acquired from Chicago last season.
Roquan Smith - No. 0
Smith provided a very interesting explanation for his number change a few months ago speaking to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
"Before you start with '1,' you start with '0.' I feel like it's just the start of something," Smith said. "This is my first start of a season with the Ravens, and I see no better number that represents that journey to greatness."
Smith joined Baltimore ahead of the 2022 trade deadline midway through last year's regular season. He became an instant-starter and a surefire game-changer for the Flock while also boosting the play of those around him, including fellow inside linebacker Patrick Queen.
After spending his whole career with the Bears wearing the no. 58 in Chicago, Smith picked the no. 18 last year after his move to Baltimore but he will be changing digits ahead of the 2023 campaign by plastering a humongous no. 0 across his back and chest in his flashy white-black-and-purple Baltimore uniform.
"I want my name to be cemented here. So, I'm the first to wear '0' and I want to be the first person to do a lot for this organization."
Jadeveon Clownye - No. 24
The former no. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft is determined to change the narrative of his career this season as a member of the Ravens, or at least that looks to be the case judging by his surprising number change.
After spending nearly a decade playing pro football in the NFL and using numbers in the 90s, Clowney decided to go all the way down the digit list to don no. 24 this season in Baltimore.
Clowney was signed by the Ravens midway through traning camp and he is expected to have a prominent role in the linebacker/EDGE line with the struggling David Ojabo not improving his game at a good pace, and veteran Tyus Bowser sitting on IR for the next four weeks.
Ronald Darby - No. 28
The Ravens signed veteran cornerback Ronald Darby midway through training camp and the former Denver Bronco is flipping jersey numbers to the first-ever number he used as a pro when the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Darby has used four different numbers throughout his career, and he's returning to donning the no. 28 he used on back-to-back years playing football in Buffalo. He later used the no. 41, no. 21, no. 23, and lastly no. 21 again before changing it once more for his first year donning Ravens threads.
Ronald Darby is coming off his second year spent in Denver, when he used the no. 21 for the 16 games he played with the Broncos appearing in 11 matchups two years ago and in five last season before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.
Tyler Ott - No. 49
The Ravens had to sign a replacement for season-long injured Nick Moore after the long snapper suffered a torn Achilles right on the verge of the start of training camp. Luckily for Baltimore, they found a former Pro Bowler available as a free agent.
Tyler Ott flipped Seattle for Maryland ahead of the summer and will be snapping balls to GOAT kicker Justin Tucker this season. Not only did Ott change places but also uniform numbers, unveiling an entirely new number for him throughout his pro career.
Ott used the no. 69 as a rookie in New York with the Giants, then moved to no. 48 when he joined Cincinnati in 2016 for three games, and ultimately he changed to no. 69 in Seattle. The eighth-year veteran will now have no. 49 for the Ravens in 2023.
Arthur Maulet - No. 10
If this was a ranking, then Maulet would be moving many spots up from his days as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and into the top 10 as he's moving from no. 35 to no. 10 after signing a deal with the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason.
Maulet's inclusion in the final 53-man roster of the Ravens ahead of the season over rookie (now lost to Seattle) Kyu Kelly surprised a few fans, but the truth is that Kelly did nothing in the preseason to convince Baltimore's coaches of his worth and Maulet can man the slot, which is the Ravens most glaring defensive hole.
The former Steeler started his pro career in New Orleans back in 2017 coming out of Memphis as a UDFA. He spent one season and a game there while using no. 37, only for him to flip it for no. 32 once he joined Indianapolis in 2018 for five games.
Maulet then played for the Jets using no. 23 in back-to-back seasons, and he then proceeded to play two more years in Pittsburgh using no. 35 in the last two seasons. He is now transitioning to no. 10 as the main nickel corner of the Ravens.
It must be noted that Maulet originally picked no. 34 although he made a last-minute change to no. 10 after the Ravens cut James Proche last week.