Bear Digest

Justin Fields' Jersey Number Given to Another Bears Player

It hasn't been long but Justin Fields' jersey number has already been given out and not to a rookie or newcomer.

Gene Chamberlain

Justin Fields is gone and now his number belongs to someone else.
Justin Fields is gone and now his number belongs to someone else. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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The Bears numbers game continues to provide interest before the draft.

That's not a statistic or some sort of illegal gambling operation. This numbers game refers to their jersey numbers.

The tears have barely been mopped up from some Bears fans from sobbing after Fields left and already the team has assigned his jerey number to someone.

What's more interesting is it's a player already on the team and not a newcomer.

Jaylon Johnson took jersey No. 1. Johnson did wear No. 1 at Utah before coming to the Bears. Johnson also was judged No. 1 cornerback in the NFL last year by Pro Football Focus, and received a contract extension of $76 million over four year this offseason.

It comes on the heels of the big annoucement Tuesday about jersey No. 13.

Wide receiver Tyler Scott had No. 13 his rookie year and it's been announced he will have No. 10 going forward.

This means the No. 13 remains available for Keenan Allen, who wore that number with the Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers for 11 years.

However, there's a quarterback likely to be drafted No. 1 who might want that number. Caleb Williams wore it at USC and at Oklahoma.

Perhaps the rookie QB will be wearing No. 18. He wore that in high school and no one on the offseason roster now has that jersey. Robert Tonyan Jr. had it last year and is an unsigned free agent now.

The Bears have assigned jersey No. 81 to Dante Pettis after signing him back to the team. He formerly had 18 before Tonyan had it. So 18 would be available for Williams if drafted to Chicago.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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