As of Monday, there are 20 days until the New Orleans Saints officially open their 2026 season. New Orleans travels north to open the year when they play at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Linebacker Pete Werner is wearing No. 20 for the Saints.
Werner is a five-year veteran and has been a staple of the New Orleans defense. He's the 17th player to wear the 20 jersey in Saints history. Our countdown to kickoff series takes a look at each of them here.
Saints History of No. 20
- S George Youngblood (1967-68)
- CB Delles Howell (1970-72)
- CB Ray Jones (1973)
- CB Eric Felton (1978-79)
- S Russell Gary (1981-86)
- S Jon Sutton (1987)
- S Othello Henderson (1994)
- RB Derek Brown (1995-96)
- S Earl Little (1998)
- RB Terry Allen (2000)
- S Jay Bellamy (2001-07)
- CB Randall Gay (2008-10)
- CB A.J. Davis (2012)
- CB Brian Dixon (2014-16)
- CB Ken Crawley (2017-19)
- CB Janoris Jenkins (2019-20)
- LB Pete Werner (2021-current)
George Youngblood joined the 1967 inaugural New Orleans squad to be their first player to wear No. 20, but suited up for only five games over their first two seasons. Carroll, Louisiana and Grambling State star Delles Howell was also the first Saints draft pick to wear No. 20 as a Round 4 choice
in the 1970 draft. Howell played three seasons with the team, intercepting 9 passes during that time. He was also one of seven out of the 17 players who wore No. 20 as a Saint to do so for more than two years.
Another of those seven was Russell Gary, a second-round choice in the 1981 NFL draft. With the 29th overall pick, Gary also holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted player by the Saints to wear the No. 20 jersey. Over his six years with New Orleans, Gary appeared in 62 games and had 7 interceptions with 3 fumbles recovered. Until likely being surpassed by Werner this year, Gary also has the second-most games played in the No. 20 uniform for New Orleans.
After Gary came five players to wear No. 20 over the next 15 years, with only running back Derek Brown wearing it longer than one season. Also the first offensive player to wear a No. 20 jersey for the Saints, Brown was a fourth-round pick in 1993 who wore three numbers in four years with the franchise. No. 20 was worn by him in 1995 and 1996, his last two years in the league, when he gained a combined 509 scrimmage yards and scored 2 touchdowns.
Terry Allen may have been the most notable name to wear the No. 20 in New Orleans' past, coming to the Saints after eight highly productive years with the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and New England Patriots. Allen played in only four contests for New Orleans, rushing for 179 yards and 2 scores. He's also the last offensive player to wear No. 20 for the Saints.
Jay Bellamy had an underrated 14-year NFL career. The last seven of those were with the Saints, with his 81 games the longest stint in franchise history for anyone who has worn No. 20. During his time in New Orleans, Bellamy had 9 interceptions while breaking up 31 passes, forcing 3 fumbles, and recording 4.5 sacks with 20 tackles for loss. Former LSU standout Randall Gay replaced Bellamy in the defensive backfield and in No. 20 in 2008. Gay was with the team for three years and had just 1 interception, but broke up 20 throws and recording 2 sacks.
In the latter half of the last decade, the Saints had two corners who wore No. 20 that have vastly different views from the fan base. Ken Crawley made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2016, then was thrust into a larger role because of injuries and lack of talent on the back end. Crawley wore No. 46 upon his arrival to the Saints, switching to No. 20 in his second year before wearing No. 25 in his second stint with the team. In the No. 20 jersey, Crawley had an interception and 23 passes broken up but was also often targeted by opponents with success.
Janoris ''Jackrabbit'' Jenkins had much greater success in an albeit short stretch in New Orleans. Jenkins helped fortify an already strong Saints secondary upon his arrival. In his two years with New Orleans, Jackrabbit had 4 interceptions, one touchdown return, 15 passes broken up, and allowed less than 60% completion rate when targeted.
For the last five years, the owner of the No. 20 jersey for the Saints has been Pete Werner. A second round choice from the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021, Werner has been a steady, if unspectacular, presence in the middle of the New Orleans defense. He'll need to make more big plays and struggles in the open field, but few are more physical against the run or around the line of scrimmage. With nine games in 2026, Werner will surpass Jay Bellamy for the most games by a Saints player in a 20 jersey.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 20 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 20 jersey
