Once roster moves become official, there is the possibility for players, especially rookies, to switch jersey numbers ahead of the NFL season. In the case of the Chicago Bears, we saw defensive end Dominique Robinson change his number from 91 to 90 once Yannick Ngakoue arrived during training camp. There is another number change on the roster. As of Wednesday, rookie running back Roschon Johnson changed his number from 30 to 23.
In Chicago, 23 is a very special number. Jermaine Dye was the World Series MVP for the 2005 Chicago White Sox, Ryne Sandberg is a Hall of Famer for the Chicago Cubs, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all-time, depending who you ask, and Devin Hester is the greatest returner in NFL history. With a storied line of number 23s in Chicago, is Johnson up next?
In recent memory, Kyle Fuller, the aforementioned Hester, and Jerry Azumah all wore the number during their time with the Bears. The number has become beloved by the city due to the incredible players who have worn it.
Shifting to the number is quite the move in Chicago. Johnson wore number 2 in college, so this is not a case of changing to an old college number as Eddie Jackson did. Instead, he's writing a new story with a new number that has a lot of meaning in the Windy City.
There is a lot of anticipation surrounding the rookie. His number choice will certainly drum up a lot of conversation among the fanbase as well. Now, we get to watch his career unfold. Will Roschon Johnson be the next great No. 23? Only time will tell.
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