The choice of a jersey number is a rite of passage for rookies entering the NFL. Sometimes, they have an interesting connection that the player may not even realize.
Cleveland Browns rookie Denzel Boston has chosen his number for the 2026 season, and it will be very familiar to fans. It is the No. 12 that a more heralded arrival wore last season.
The new Browns wide receiver will wear Shedeur Sanders’ old jersey number, after the quarterback made a switch earlier this offseason.
“Cleveland Browns WR Denzel Boston is wearing number 12. Last assigned to Shedeur Sanders,” NFL Jersey Numbers wrote.
Cleveland Browns WR Denzel Boston is wearing number 12. Last assigned to Shedeur Sanders. pic.twitter.com/dXJqQWWQpL
— NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) May 1, 2026
The choice makes perfect sense, as Boston wore No. 12 at the University of Washington. That likely was much more important to the second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft than any connection it may have to Sanders.
In fact, Sanders has switched to the No. 2 he wore at the University of Colorado. It was unavailable to him last season as it belonged to kick returner DeAndre Carter, who is currently a free agent. So, Sanders wore No. 12, which is the inverse of the No. 21 his father, Deion Sanders, wore during his Hall of Fame NFL career after sporting the No. 2 at Florida State.
The jersey number served Boston well in his time at Washington. In his final two seasons, he almost evenly split his 125 receptions, 1,751 yards, and 20 touchdown catches by year.
He will have a chance to make his number virtually his own in Browns history. Kicker Don Cockcroft is the most notable Cleveland player to wear No. 12, which he did throughout a 13-year career that ended in 1980. More recently, it was worn by safety Rodney McCleod in 2024 and quarterback Jeff Driskel in 2023.
Fellow Browns rookie receiver KC Concepcion, a first-round pick in this year’s draft, has chosen to wear jersey No. 17. He explained it as a combination of the No. 1 he wore in high school and the No. 7 he wore in college at Texas A&M.
With those decisions behind them, it is now time for Boston and Concepcion to put up impressive statistics on the field.
NEXT: One Analyst Isn't Buying The Latest Browns QB Report At All
