New season, new number for two Browns players

The Cleveland Browns open training camp for the 2023 season today at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

When the team takes the field for their first practice later on today, two players on defense will be sporting new uniform numbers.

First up is cornerback Greg Newsome II, who will become the first player in franchise history to wear number 0 as he is making the switch from number 20.

This is the first season that players, other than offensive and defensive linemen, are allowed to wear the number 0 after team owners approved a rule change in March after the Philadelphia Eagles proposed the change to the NFL Competition Committee to allow for greater flexibility in choosing a uniform number.

Newsome joins a list of players who plan to sport a 0 on their uniforms, including wide receiver Calvin Ridley of the Jacksonville Jaguars, defensive end Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers, linebacker Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens, and running back D’Andre Swift of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Joining Newsome in the jersey number switch is linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is switching from number 28 to number 6, the same number he wore in college at Notre Dame.

Owusu-Koramoah is just the second non-quarterback in franchise history to wear number 6, joining placekicker Travis Coons, who sported the number during his lone season with the Browns in 2015.

Four other players have worn the number: quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (2018 to 2022), Brian Hoyer (2013 to 2014), Cody Kessler (2016 to 2017), and Seneca Wallace (2010 to 2011).