The San Francisco 49ers are finalizing their 53-man roster, and with that comes some re-organization of uniform numbers. The NFL allows for a 90-man offseason roster, and when you combine that with the 49ers retired jerseys, there are not going to be enough numbers to go around. And so, we often have young players sharing numbers. Once cuts are made, numbers change.
This year, running back Mike Davis and cornerback Kenneth Acker each wore No. 20 through training camp. At least one of them will be changing numbers. Davis tweeted the following Friday evening:
Deuce deuce it is !!!
— IG MikeDavisRB (@MikeDavisRB) September 5, 2015
Chris Cook sported No. 22 at the start of training camp. The 49ers released him on August 5, and the number has remained vacant ever since. In our "Who wore it best?" series, Dwight Hicks got the honors for No. 22. Several corners have worn it in franchise history, but the team is mixing things up with the rookie running back.
There are still three more numbers that are duplicated. Jarryd Hayne and Jermaine Whitehead each wear No. 38, Busta Anderson and Shayne Skov each wear No. 48, and Mike Purcell and Justin Renfrow each wear No. 64. Hayne and Purcell seem to have the strongest roster chances, with Skov behind them, and then Anderson behind Skov. Renfrow and Whitehead are long-shots. Hayne apparently wore 38 in rugby league, so if he makes the roster, I imagine he sticks with it.