Cowboys' Stephon Gilmore as No. 21: Deion Sanders Reacts

Stephen Gilmore has accomplished plenty in his NFL career but the cycle begins anew with the Dallas Cowboys. ... as he wears Deion Sanders' old No. 21.

The number 21 is a hallowed digit in several realms: colleges, casinos ... and Cowboys.

Much has been made in Dallas Cowboys lore about 88, but some high-profile Pokes have also donned 21. Past (and future?) Cowboy was the most recent wearer, following a list previously headlined by Deion Sanders.

If Elliott indeed returns, it could make things a tad awkward between himself and incoming veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who is taking over the jersey for his first season in a starred helmet. Gilmore has never been one for any sort of jersey consistency ... this will be the fifth different number he has worn since entering the league with Buffalo in 2012. His prior, the no. 5 he had with the Indianapolis Colts, is currently worn by punter Bryan Anger, requiring new threads for his new threads.

Gilmore turned to a friend and another former wearer, cornerback Deion Sanders about an idea: picking up where Sanders left off and wearing the No. 21 in the Dallas secondary. 

Per The Athletic, Gilmore said that the current head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes was "stoked" to hear of his plan. 

“A lot of great players have worn this jersey number and represented it well," Gilmore said, referencing a list that also includes Doug Dennison, Mike Jenkins, and Julius Jones. "I’m going to try to do the same."

Gilmore certainly sounds ready for "Prime Time" in more ways than one and the Cowboys certainly hope that proves to be the case: as Dallas prepares for a season that could lead to its third consecutive playoff berth, they'll face a schedule that carries the burden of at least seven exclusive television window games and nine opponents that reached last year's Super Bowl tournament. 

If and when Dallas reaches the next one, they'll no doubt have to hear about their active championship drought, one inching toward three decades. Gilmore has plenty of accomplishments, including a Super Bowl ring earned in New England, to hold himself over but any newcomer more or less begins with a blank slate on the modern Cowboys, at least until more hardware is earned.

The veteran defender is more than happy to embrace those expectations.

“I’ve always got something to prove, always, always,” said Gilmore, who is also wearing No. 21 as an Ezekiel Elliott replacement. “That’s my mindset each and every year. No matter what, you’ve still got to go out and make plays. I think I did that last year no matter the circumstance.”

Gilmore's Vince Lombardi Trophy was well-earned, but one could hardly fault him for taking a supposedly "easy" route to a ring by joining the Patriots. The 10th pick of the 2012 draft has mostly served as a silver lining in meandering situations, beginning his career as a part of the Buffalo Bills' lengthy playoff drought. He was able to enjoy three playoff trips with the Patriots but further heartbreak awaited him in the last two seasons with Carolina and Indianapolis. Even his final season with the Patriots proved disappointing, as the 2020 campaign was their first away from the playoff bracket since 2008.

Facing the gargantuan expectations of the Cowboys brotherhood, Gilmore was, in fact, lured in by those burdens, knowing that there would be no more livelier Super Bowl celebration than the one hypothetically held in Dallas.

“It’d mean a lot. There’s no better feeling than winning that big thing. To do it here would be even bigger," Gilmore said. "This was one of the places I wanted to come, probably my No. 1 place, so I’m happy we got it done.”

Gilmore and the Cowboys kick off their preseason on Saturday afternoon at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4 p.m. CT, KTVT). 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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