Ravens LB Gets New Jersey Number

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson is entering his second NFL season, but he will look a little different compared to his rookie year.

Simpson announced on Instagram that he would be changing his jersey number from 30 to 23.

Simpson, a third-round pick last year out of Clemson, didn't play a whole lot in his rookie season with Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith locking down the middle linebacker spots. However, with Queen no longer on the team after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Simpson is expected to have a larger role on defense this season. And Smith feels confident in Simpson's abilities after being teammates for a year.

"He has all the potential in the world," Smith said. "It's just going to be about putting that on the field week in and week out and just trusting his ability. If he does that, I think he'll be the best second-year linebacker in the league, in my opinion."

Simpson appeared in 15 games for the Ravens in 2023, but he only logged 46 defensive snaps all season. He saw more action on special teams, playing in 258 snaps, proving to be valuable in that area.

Perhaps the confidence Smith has in Simpson, along with his new number change to reflect the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James could give the second-year pro the sophomore leap he's looking for.

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