Though many had already been leaked, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially announced jersey numbers for their free agent class. Posting the names, numbers, and faces to Twitter Thursday afternoon, here’s the new lineup.
Yesterday, an NFL jersey number Twitter account leaked several jersey numbers. They all match up with the Steelers’ official post.
Notable jersey numbers that weren’t confirmed before include Cordarrelle Patterson keeping No. 84 and CB Donte Jackson wearing No. 26. DL Dean Lowry will also wear No. 94. QB Russell Wilson, though already known, will keep the No. 3 he’s worn throughout his career while Justin Fields will switch from the No. 1 he’s always worn, even dating back to high school, to No. 2. QB Mason Rudolph wore No. 2 most recently, the digit he donned throughout his Steelers career. The Steelers don’t hand out No. 1 jerseys and wouldn’t budge here.
However, the team made an exception for LB Patrick Queen, who will keep his No. 6. That’s the benefit of being a highly sought-after free agent.
Here are the official names and Steelers’ jersey numbers.
QB Justin Fields – No. 2
QB Russell Wilson – No. 3
QB Kyle Allen – No. 4
P Cameron Johnston – No. 5
LB Patrick Queen – No. 6
WR Van Jefferson – No. 11
WR Quez Watkins – No. 16
SS DeShon Elliott – No. 25
CB Donte Jackson – No. 26
RB Cordarrelle Patterson – No. 84
DL Dean Lowry – No. 94
Patterson announced his jersey number in creative fashion, sketching out an “84” on the window of his rain-soaked car.
Patterson, selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 draft, has worn No. 84 throughout his NFL career. It seemed he narrowed his choices down to No. 84 and No. 10, asking fans for mock ups of what he’d look like in either jersey.
And now the decision is in.
For the Steelers, No. 84 is most commonly linked to WR Antonio Brown, a dominant receiver of his era who left with bad blood, to say the least. The Steelers have issued the number in past years for minicamp and training camp, but no one has worn it in a regular-season game until Patterson will this fall.
QB Kenny Pickett’s No. 8 remains open as does WR Diontae Johnson’s No. 18. Elliott will take No. 25, most recently worn by SS Eric Rowe, who filled in admirably for the Steelers at the end of 2023. Jefferson snags WR Allen Robinson’s No. 11
Pittsburgh had an active free agency, especially at the start, before filling in gaps in the roster with lower-level players like Allen, Watkins, and Lowry. The Steelers’ roster sits at 73 players heading into the draft, where they currently hold seven draft picks.
