21 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 21

USA Today

17 hours ago

From Dalton Hilliard to Eric Allen and Keenan Lewis
In only 21 days, new head coach Kellen Moore will lead the New Orleans Saints in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. One of the team's biggest offseason additions, safety Justin Reid, wears No. 21 for New Orleans. Reid hopes to follow in the footsteps of a few significant contributors that wore No. 21 for the Saints. Here are all the players who have worn the jersey.
Saints' History of No. 21
John Douglas was the first player and first New Orleans draft pick to wear No. 21. A fifth round choice during the franchise's first draft in 1967, Douglas had 1 interception and a fumble recovery as the team's starting corner during their first two years of existence. Of the 27 players who have worn the No. 21 jersey with the Saints, 18 did so for one year or less. Carl Ward started a string of nine straight players to be in No. 21 for a season or less from 1969 to 1986, all defensive backs.
Dalton Hilliard finally snapped that dubious streak and also became the first Saints offensive player to wear No. 21. A second round choice (31st overall) in the 1986 NFL draft from the LSU Tigers, Hilliard would technically be the second highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear the No. 21 jersey. However, Hilliard wore No. 40 as a rookie before switching to No. 21 for the last seven years of a productive career.
Hilliard was one of the most prolific backs in New Orleans history and one of the NFL's most versatile threats during his time in the league. He had 4,164 yards rushing and 39 scores on the ground, including a career-best 1,262 in a Pro Bowl season of 1989. His 18 total touchdowns that year led the league and was also a single-season franchise record until Alvin Kamara equaled it in 2018, then broke it in 2020 with No. 21 scores. As a receiver, Hilliard was also a lethal threat with 249 career receptions for yards 2,233 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Knee injuries that started in 1990 caused Hilliard to miss several games over his last four years and slowed his elusiveness and explosive abilities. He still remains fifth on the Saints all-time rushing list and fourth in rushing touchdowns. Hilliard retired as the franchise's all-time leader in catches and receiving yardage by a running back. His 53 total touchdowns were first on the team's all-time list when he left the game and remains sixth in team history. Hilliard was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1998, becoming just the third running back at the time to get that honor.
Once injuries hastened the end of Hilliard's career, the Saints tried to replace him with Derek Brown. A Round 4 selection in 1993, Brown wore three numbers over four seasons in New Orleans. He wore No. 21 during his second year in 1994, rushing for 489 yards and gaining another 428 as a receiver while scoring 4 touchdowns. Brown gave up No. 21 in 1995 with the arrival of future NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Eric Allen. Most of Allen's NFL success came with the Philadelphia Eagles to start his career, then the Oakland Raiders to cap it off. Between those stops was a three-year stint with New Orleans. As a Saint, Allen had one Pro Bowl berth with a total of 5 interceptions and 160 tackles.
Jason Craft was another defensive back that had better success with another team prior to a stop in New Orleans. Craft was with the Saints for four seasons, where he had some success with 6 interceptions, 22 pass breakups, and 4 forced fumbles.
Running back Mike Bell is an often forgotten part of the Saints Super Bowl XLIV championship unit. He was acquired from the Denver Broncos in 2008, switching from Nos. 40 to 21 in 2009. When injuries hit the New Orleans backfield that season, Bell stepped up to be a productive runner by finishing second on the team with 654 yards and 5 scores. Injuries again decimated New Orleans backs in 2010. This time, the Saints were forced to sign former Dallas Cowboys star Julius Jones. However, Jones failed to match Bell's success, rushing for only 193 yards in 10 games of action.
A trio of cornerbacks followed in the No. 21 uniform after Jones' departure. The first of them was Patrick Robinson, the last choice in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. If Hilliard was technically the second highest draft choice by New Orleans to wear No. 21, then Robinson is technically the highest despite initially wearing 34 as a rookie before his number change. Robinson should also be considered a first round bust. He did have 7 interceptions over a two-year stretch between 2011 and 2012 and 11 total picks with a scoring return and 52 passes broken up in two different stints in New Orleans. However, he was also a magnet for big plays by the opposition, never living up to his draft status. Keenan Lewis started his New Orleans career in No. 28. After two years in that jersey, he switched to No. 21 for what turned out to be his last year with the Saints because of injuries.
De'Vante Harris made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2016. Harris played two years in the No. 21 jersey before Robinson's return in 2018, often pressed into more reps than what he should have been because of lack of depth on the back end. Tony Jones Jr. had (very) limited success wearing three different numbers during a four-year stretch with the Saints as a backup running back.
Bradley Roby was acquired in a trade early in the 2021 season. Roby played two years with New Orleans, intercepting one pass and breaking up 10 others and strengthening the depth of a strong Saints cornerback unit. Over the last two years, the No. 21 jersey has been worn by Jamaal Williams. A 1,000-yard back with the Lions, he never came close to that kind of production with New Orleans. In two disappointing years with the Saints, Williams averaged a lowly 3.1 per carry and managed only 470 rushing yards over 27 games. The No. 21 is turned back over to the defensive side, as Justin Reid is expected to be a vital part of the secondary in 2025.