There’s been a lot of attention paid to players choosing single-digit jerseys in the wake of the league’s rule change allowing for wider use of those numbers, but that’s not the only news on the uniform front.
In Arizona, for example, sixth-round cornerback Tay Gowan has been given No. 32. The number has a lot of history in the Arizona secondary as it was worn by Tyrann Mathieu during his run with the Cardinals and then by Budda Baker before he switched to No. 3 this offseason.
Gowan said Monday that he thinks the Cardinals “did that on purpose so now I gotta live up to it.”
“Actually 32 chose me. . . . I’m thankful for the number,” Gowan said, via ArizonaSports.com. “I’m gonna live up to the legacy. I know a lot of good players have put that number on, so it’s my turn. I think Arizona did that on purpose so now I gotta live up to it.”
Gowan opted out of playing at UCF last season after he contracted COVID-19 and then saw it spread to his daughter, girlfriend, mother, and other family members. That likely contributed to him being around in the sixth round, but the jersey choice suggests the Cardinals see him as being capable of outperforming that spot on the draft board.