Lions QB Teddy Bridgewater is wearing No. 50 during the preseason

The NFL has a history of a strict numbering system relegating certain numbers for certain positions. The same system was in place from 1973 to 2020, but starting in 2021, players started fighting for changes to be made. They don’t have free range of numbers, but they have more options during the regular season, with the rules more lax in the preseason due to expanded rosters.

Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was a late signee and had to take what was available. This resulted in his wearing the No. 50 during the preseason. With the new rules debuting for the 2023 regular season, quarterbacks can only wear 0-19. Bridgewater will have to switch for the regular season if he ends up making the team. For now, the quarterback will wear No. 50 as he suits up to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, August 19.

Bridgewater typically wears No. 5. It was his high school number and the number he wore when he was at Louisville from 2011-2013. Bridgewater has been able to don No. 5 across the stops in his NFL career to this point. From the Minnesota Vikings who drafted him 32 overall to the Miami Dolphins who rostered him as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa.

The problem for Bridgewater in Detroit is that No. 5 is currently being donned by running back David Montgomery. It remains to be seen how tied to No. 5 Monty is as he was No. 32 with during his tenure with the Chicago Bears. It isn’t uncommon for players to come up with wild terms to “buy” a desired number from a teammate behind closed doors. If Bridgewater does make the regular season roster, he may be losing a good chunk of change to Montgomery if he wants to retain his number for his newest team.