Dexter Lawrence has made a name for himself as #97 in the pros.
And the big nose tackle made it clear that he’d like to keep that number now that he’s been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The problem was that, just last year, the Bengals drafted Shemar Stewart in the first round, and the rookie chose that same #97.
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Today, Stewart decided to give up his number to welcome the veteran nose tackle to the team. It is not clear if any money exchanged hands.
But what is clear is that Stewart could become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Lawrence addition, as having someone clog up the middle and disrupt the interior of the line will free the second-year edge rusher to get a lot more pressure on opposing QBs.
Stewart will now be #94.
In other news, the Bengals let defensive players wear single-digit numbers for the first time, with DJ Turner (#0) and Bryan Cook (#6) as trendsetters.
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