As of Monday, there are 34 days left before the New Orleans Saints officially begin their 2026 season. The Saints will play their first game on the road, traveling to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Rookie TJ Hall wears No. 34 for the Saints for the moment at cornerback.
A seventh-round pick in this year's draft, Hall is trying to crack the lineup in an already young and talented secondary. He hopes to become the 20th player in New Orleans history to wear the 34 jersey, though fewer than that have actually worn it in a regular season game. We have a look at each of them now.
Saints History of No. 34
- RB Tony Lorick (1968-69)
- TE Carlos Bell (1971)
- RB Jess Phillips (1973-74)
- RB Tony Galbreath (1976-80)
- DB Bobby Johnson (1983-84)
- RB Barry Word (1987-88)
- RB Jeff Rodenberger (1987)
- RB Craig Heyward (1988-92)
- RB Ray Zellars (1995-98)
- RB Ricky Williams (1999-2001)
- S Tebucky Jones (2003-04)
- CB Mike McKenzie (2005-09)
- CB Patrick Robinson (2010)
- RB Tim Hightower (2015-16)
- CB Justin Hardee (2017-20)
- RB Tony Jones (2021-23)
- CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (2024)
- RB Xazavian Valladay (2024)
- RB Evan Hull (2025)
- CB TJ Hall (current)
Tony Lorick was the first to wear a 34 for New Orleans. Lorick rushed for 355 yards over 27 games between 1968 and 1969. Tight end Carlos Bell was the first Saints
draft choice to wear a 34 jersey. A fourth-round pick in 1971, Bell played only one game for New Orleans and in the NFL. Jess Phillips quietly had some production for the Saints through the mid-1970s. Phillips played 27 games as primarily a fullback through two seasons, rushing for a combined 1,219 yards and scoring twice.
After selecting RB Chuck Muncie with the third overall pick in the 1976 NFL draft, the Saints doubled down and selected Missouri Tigers RB Tony Galbreath in Round 2 with the 32nd overall pick. Muncie and Galbreath formed a formidable backfield tandem nicknamed 'Thunder and Lightning' for the next five years. Galbreath was one of the NFL's top all-purpose threats during his time in New Orleans. He played five seasons as a Saint, with his 75 games the most for any player to wear the No. 34 jersey.
Galbreath accounted for 2,865 yards as a runner, adding 284 receptions and 2,221 yards as a receiver while scoring 33 total touchdowns. He was infamously traded to the Minnesota Vikings during the 1981 offseason, as the team purged most of their offensive star power. Nevertheless, Galbreath remains one of the most versatile backs in franchise history. In 1991, Galbreath was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame, becoming the first running back to receive that honor.
Barry Word was a third-round pick by the Saints in 1986, but was unable to play as a rookie because of a five-month prison sentence for cocaine distribution. Once freed, Word only appeared in 14 games for the team as a backup running back, causing him to leave the Saints. Word eventually landed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990, putting together a productive three-year stretch that included a 1,000-yard season.
Back to the drawing board in the backfield, New Orleans used the 24th selection in Round 1 of the 1988 draft on Pitt Panthers back Craig Heyward. A punishing runner, Heyward rushed for 1,813 yards and 13 scores in five seasons and 66 games for the Saints. It is the second longest stint for any player to wear No. 34. However, Heyward had weight and work ethic issues that never allowed him to take full control of the New Orleans backfield. Those issues led to him being pushed out of New Orleans in 1993. Ironhead Heyward landed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1994, where he'd have a 1,000-yard Pro Bowl season the following year.
New Orleans again looked for a power back in the early rounds of the draft in 1995, using a second-round pick on Ray Zellars out of Notre Dame. Zellars would play his only four NFL seasons in New Orleans, suiting up in 48 contests. He managed just 1,351 rushing yards over that span, not providing the backfield answer that New Orleans was hoping for. That also led to one of the most controversial trades in NFL history.
During the 1999 NFL Draft, then-Saints coach Mike Ditka traded the entire New Orleans draft that year (6 picks) along with a first and third rounder in 2000, to the Washington Redskins in exchange for the fifth overall selection. With that pick, the Saints selected Texas Longhorns running back Ricky Williams. He remains the highest-drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 34.
Williams actually had a productive career by the numbers with the Saints. He became the first player in franchise history to have consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2000 and 2001, picking up 3,129 rushing yards and scoring 18 touchdowns over a three-year stretch that included 38 games. However, it was impossible for Williams to live up to his draft hype and he was never the dominant player that the team had envisioned. In 2002, the Saints traded Williams to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for two firsts and a third-round draft pick. More controversy followed Williams in Miami, but he'd also have three 1,000-yard seasons in a five-year stretch.
There wouldn't be a defensive player to wear 34 for the Saints until Tebucky Jones in 2003. Jones had 2 interceptions and forced 2 fumbles during two years as a Saint, but was mostly a disaster in coverage. He was gone from the team after 31 games. Since Williams was traded away, five of the last nine players to wear No. 34 for the team have been on the defensive side, with Jones being the first.
The best New Orleans defensive player to wear 34 was Mike McKenzie. Picked up in late 2004, McKenzie switched to No. 34 in 2005. He'd wear that jersey for the next five years and 58 games, becoming one of the better corners to wear a New Orleans uniform. While with the Saints, McKenzie had 13 interceptions, returning two for scores, while breaking up 51 passes.
Patrick Robinson was another No. 34 to be drafted in Round 1 by New Orleans. The 32nd overall pick in 2010, Robinson wore No. 34 as a rookie before switching to No. 21 for the remainder of a mostly disappointing eight-year career with the team. Tim Hightower and Justin Hardee both wore No. 34 in underrated careers with the Saints. Hightower was an effective complementary back, while Hardee was a solid backup defensive back and one of the finest special teams players in the league.
Tony Jones had a brief stint as a backup running back, as did Evan Hull last season. Between them, neither Kool-Aid McKinstry or Xazavian Valladay played a down in the 34 jersey. McKinstry had the number through preseason as a rookie, then switched to 14 and is on his third number change since. Valladay spent a few weeks on the practice squad in 2024 without a down of playing time. Rookie TJ Hall now gets his chance in a deep Saints defensive backfield. If he makes the team, he'll be the first defensive player since Hardee in 2020 to wear the 34 uniform.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 34 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 34 jersey
