Shortly after the Eagles drafted him with the No. 10 overall pick, DeVonta Smith said he’d love to keep his No. 6 in the NFL.
Ask and you shall receive.
The Eagles on Friday evening tweeted out a photo of Smith holding up his brand new No. 6 jersey during his first visit to the NovaCare Complex. (He then went over to the Wells Fargo Center to ring the bell).
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“I mean, I would love to wear No. 6,” Smith said on Thursday night. “If I get the chance, that's what I'm going to go with.”
A new rule that just passed this offseason will allow wide receivers to wear single digit numbers in the regular season for the first time. That means Smith will get to carry over his No. 6 from Alabama into the NFL.
Eagles receiver Khalil Tate previously had the No. 6. Tate played quarterback at Arizona but has converted to receiver in the NFL. He went undrafted in 2020 and was signed by the Eagles last April. The Birds waived him in July but brought him back in January on a futures deal. Tate is a long shot to make the roster and if he’s going to do it, he’ll need to get a new number.
NFL
The last Eagle to wear No. 6 in a regular season game was kicker Caleb Sturgis during the early portion of the 2017 season. Smith will become the 14th Eagle all-time to wear No. 6.
Here’s the complete list: Jim MacMurdo, Gary Adams, John Reaves, Spike Jones, Dan Pastorini, Matt Cavanaugh, Bubby Brister, Jason Baker, Lee Johnson, Jose Cortez, Sav Rocca, Alex Henery, Caleb Sturgis, DeVonta Smith.
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