Teddy Bridgewater entered the NFL wearing No. 5. As he joins his seventh NFL team, Bridgewater is adding a zero to that number.
Bridgewater said Monday he’ll wear No. 50 during the preseason.
It’s not a joke. It’s his official number. But it won’t last. The rules allow quarterbacks to wear any number from 0 to 19. Bridgewater has managed to go beyond that range for the preseason because 0 through 19 are claimed; the only one that hasn’t been assigned is No. 7. The Lions previously retired that number in honor of Dutch Clark.
Eventually, the Lions will shed enough players to open up an acceptable number for Bridgewater. Between Nate Sudfeld (10) and Adrian Martinez (18), one of those numbers will be available.
While we’re on the topic, here’s the full list of acceptable numbers, via the 2023 rule book: quarterbacks, 0-19; punters and kickers, 0-49 and 90-99; defensive backs, 0-49; running backs, fullbacks, tight ends, H-backs, and wide receivers, 0-49 and 80-89; offensive linemen, 50-79; defensive linemen, 50-79 and 90-99; and linebackers: 0-59 and 90-99.