Following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced which jersey numbers their rookies will wear in the upcoming season. These jersey numbers are subject to change before the start of the season; however, this announcement gives us a preview of what number they might wear during the season and, with it, the history they will carry on the back of their jerseys that they will try to honor with their play on the field.
Let’s see which jersey numbers were assigned to each Bucs rookie and a brief history behind each of them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2024 Rookie Jersey Numbers Announced
Graham Barton, 62
First-round selection Graham Barton stuck to the same jersey number he wore in college and chose number 62. The Duke product is an exciting addition to the Bucs offense, bringing a commanding presence to their O-Line and automatically making it one of the best in the NFL.
Quite a few players have worn number 62 in Tampa Bay’s history without much success to speak of. The most successful player to ever wear this jersey number for the Buccaneers is Ian Beckles, who wore it from 1990 to 1996. Other players who have worn this jersey number include Sean Farrell, Jeff Christy, Ted Larsen, and Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Chris Braswell, 43
Contrary to Barton, Braswell decided to switch up and wear number 43, changing from the number 41 that he wore during his college days with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He arrives on the Buccaneers as a much-needed upgrade at the edge rusher position and is expected to be a starter from day one.
Like with 62, not many players have worn 43 on the Buccaneers and have seen success on the field. The most successful player to ever wear number 43 with the Bucs is Jerry Eckwood, who had three decent seasons from 1979 to 1981 but retired shortly after as he started displaying dementia-related symptoms. Other players include Bobby Rainey, Beasley Reece, and Peyton Barber.
Tykee Smith, 23
Tykee Smith will also retain the same number he used during college at West Virginia and Georgia, number 23. Smith arrives on a Buccaneer team that does not need another safety and comes in as an undersized player with below-average speed for his position. Nonetheless, he will likely find use as a nickelback, a position he played during most of his college career.
Number 23 should sound familiar to most Bucs fans, as two good players have worn this number on their backs recently: 2020 Super Bowl champion safeties Ryan Neal and Sean Murphy-Bunting. Additionally, another Super Bowl-winning safety (this time in 2003) has worn number 23 for the Buccaneers, Jermaine Phillips. Smith joins an elite group of safeties who have worn this jersey number for Tampa Bay, and he’ll look to honor number 23’s rich history on the team.
Jalen McMillan, 15
Washington product Jalen McMillan will switch from the number 11 he wore in college to number 15 in the NFL. Following the team’s decline of Russell Gage‘s team option, McMillan comes in as a potential WR3 on the Buccaneer offense. He’ll have to compete with an already-established Trey Palmer for the spot, but he could see some serious play time in the upcoming season.
Surprisingly enough, number 15 doesn’t have much history in the Buccaneers. The most recent player to wear it was Richard LeCounte last season, although he only played in two games and didn’t record any stats. Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley also wore this jersey number when he played for the Bucs in 2022.
Bucky Irving, 7
Running back Bucky Irving will also change his number upon arrival on the team, from number 0 to number 7. The Oregon product was drafted in the fourth round of the draft and will likely serve as the team’s number-two option in the backfield behind last season’s league leader in offensive snaps among running backs, Rachaad White.
The oldheads will remember that four-time pro-bowler Jeff Garcia used to wear this jersey number when he started for the team during most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. More recently, Leonard Fournette and Shaquil Barrett also wore this jersey number, from 2021 to 2022 and in 2023, respectively.
Elijah Klein, 79
Another addition to the team’s offensive line, UTEP product Elijah Klein will wear number 79 with the team.
Quite a few players have worn number 79 for the Buccaneers. Klein will become the 15th Buccaneer to wear this number in team history, joining a list of players that includes Reuben Davis, Sean Mahan, and Jamon Meredith.
Devin Culp, 82
Finally, seventh-round selection Devin Culp will rock number 82 in his rookie season in the NFL.
Culp will become the 19th player in team history to wear number 82. Notable players who have also worn this jersey number include Ron Hall, Kellen Winslow, and Jerry Bell.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
