New Falcons unveil uniform numbers; Desmond Ridder and Lorenzo Carter change

The Falcons have imported quite a few new free agents, and we’re all curious to see how they’ll perform once they take the field for Atlanta. In the meantime, we’re left to debate and imagine how they’ll fare, and talk about the smaller things that lead us to the season.

One of those is uniform numbers, which I know fans are curious about. News on that front has been arriving quickly the past couple of days, with Desmond Ridder and Lorenzo Carter officially changing numbers Tuesday.

Ridder is back to his college number 9, thanks to Lorenzo Carter making the switch to 0. That’s likely a very big deal for Ridder, who has a chance to put a stamp on the number for himself, given that by far the best player in Atlanta ever to wear it was kicker Norm Johnson.

Carter, meanwhile, becomes the first player in Falcons history to wear No. 0, which will make a fine piece of trivia someday. It is a cool number.

The Falcons yesterday announced those numbers for four of their new additions, and here they are:

• David Onyemata: 90
• Mack Hollins: 18
• Scotty Miller: 16
• Kaden Elliss: 55

Onyemata is inheriting a number worn by some very good Falcons defensive lineman of the past. All-time Atlanta pass rusher Chuck Smith and behemoth defensive tackle Grady Jackson are the two that come to mind, with less productive draft picks like Lawrence Sidbury and Marlon Davidson recently donning 90.

Hollins is taking over 18 from Calvin Ridley, who in turn took it over from Taylor Gabriel. Longtime Falcons kicker Mick Luckhurst also rocked 18 back in the 1980s.

Miller, meanwhile, is taking on a number that has chiefly belonged to quarterbacks in Falcons history, including current Falcons commentator and onetime signal caller David Archer and former quarterback Scott Hunter. Josh Rosen was the most recent example, though receiver Justin Hardy had it for a couple of seasons in Atlanta.

Finally, Elliss is taking over 55, which most recently was worn by Nate Landman and Steven Means and belonged to linebacker Paul Worrilow before that. If he can have even a tenth of the Falcons career that John Abraham had while wearing 55, we’ll all be very happy with how things have gone.

We should get further announcements on this front soon enough, including whether any players are changing numbers, as the rumors went on Twitter over the weekend.