Cowboys fans really might need a program to keep track of who’s who when their team takes the field this season. Along with incoming players added in recent weeks, several Dallas players have requested and received new jersey numbers from the club.
In all, the Cowboys have 13 number changes from the 2021 roster, and that’s only so far.
The NFL last year relaxed its rules regarding number assignments. A few players made an immediate switch after buying up any existing merchandise featuring them in their old number. But even more players are taking advantage of the revised rules now, going perhaps to a number they wore in college, or a number worn at previous stops around the league, or just for the novelty of rocking new digits.
Here’s a quick rundown of which Cowboys players are currently slated to be wearing new numbers in the 2022 season.
| Player | Old No. | New No. |
| Kelvin Joseph | 24 | 1 |
| Jourdan Lewis | 26 | 2 |
| Anthony Brown | 30 | 3 |
| Chris Naggar | N/A | 19 |
| Rico Dowdle | 34 | 23 |
| Israel Mukuamu | 38 | 24 |
| Sewo Olonilua | 45 | 33 |
| Ryan Nall | N/A | 35 |
| Dante Fowler Jr. | N/A | 56 |
| James Washington | N/A | 83 |
| Ian Bunting | 49 | 89 |
| Josiah Bronson | 67 | 94 |
| Chauncey Golston | 59 | 99 |
Of particular numerical note to Cowboys fans, kicker Chris Naggar moves into the jersey left vacant by wide receiver Amari Cooper. Fullback Sewo Olonilua has big shoes to fill by wearing the number still most closely associated with running back legend Tony Dorsett. And practice squad defensive tackle Josiah Bronson takes over No. 94 to follow in the footsteps of Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Ware.
Of course, this list will grow if more free agents are added, once this year’s draft class is assigned numbers, or in the event that anybody else on the current roster simply wants to sport a new look.