Update your reference materials, Cowboys fans. Fifteen players on either the 53-man roster or the newly-assembled practice squad have been issued their new jersey numbers.
There are two big news items accompanying the team's announcement. The first is that Von Miller and Hunter Luepke's Shark Tankesque deal has apparently gone through the proper channels, giving Miller the No. 40 he had been hoping to wear in his return to his home state... in exchange for a small piece of the poultry farm business he owns, which will now be assumed by Luepke, wearing new gameday digits in 2026.
The second development is that Caleb Downs isn't on the list at all. The first-round draft pick was assigned No. 13 when he first joined the team in the spring, but it
never seemed set in stone. Even though the Cowboys' pro shop started churning out No. 13 Downs merchandise right away, there had been a nagging suspicion that the highly-touted rookie would adopt a flashier number, either through working a deal with a veteran or simply by waiting for another jersey to come available after cuts. As of now, anyway, Downs will look to bring good luck to No. 13 this season.
Here are the newest jersey assignments in Dallas. These could still change all the way up until Week 1 of the season.
- 11: S Alijah Clark - Clark will see a ton of his jerseys in the stands, but most of them will have Micah Parsons's name on the back. After wearing No. 38 last season, Clark takes over a number also previously worn by Cedrick Wilson, Cole Beasley, Roy Williams (the wide receiver), Drew Beldsoe, and Danny White.
- 18: WR Jonathan Mingo - Mingo is reversing the digits he wore in Dallas last year. Damone Clark wore No. 18 most recently for the Cowboys; the number has also been worn by Damontae Kazee, Randall Cobb, Kyle Orton, David Buehler, Chris Boniol, and Bernie Kosar.
- 23: CB Ameer Speed - The cornerback, who's been with the Cowboys since June, steps into a jersey that's been on running backs in recent years. Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, and Tashard Choice have all worn No. 23 for past Dallas teams.
- 25: RB Israel Abanikanda - The practice squad running back wore No. 30 last season; this year he returns to the No. 25 that he wore while with the Jets and for part of his time with the 49ers. Trikweze Bridges wore No. 25 last season; Nahshon Wright, Xavier Woods, and Lance Dunbar have done so in previous years.
- 30: FB Hunter Luepke - Luepke takes over the No. 30 jersey after giving up the No. 40 he's worn for his entire pro career thus far. There's good fullback vibes in his new digits, though; Timmy Newsome wore the number for his stellar nine-year career in the 1980s. Legendary coach Dan Reeves also sported No. 30 as a Cowboys running back a decade prior.
- 31: RB Emari Demercado - The newly-signed running back slips back into the No. 31 jersey that he wore for his stint with the Arizona Cardinals. Byron Jones, Roy Williams (the safety), George Teague, and Brock Marion have all worn it for Cowboys teams of the past.
- 40: OLB Von Miller - Miller wore No. 40 while playing his college ball at Texas A&M, so the digits will now be a special part of his homecoming in his 16th pro season. He also wore it in Buffalo and Los Angeles. Most Cowboys fans of a certain age, though, still associate the No. 40 jersey with safety and special teams wrecking ball Bill Bates.
- 47: TE Mitch Van Vooren - Picked up just before the preseason finale, Van Vooren caught a touchdown against New Orleans and got invited back to the Cowboys practice squad. He'll look to make a mark in a number whose most notable wearer is either early-'80s defensive back Dextor Clinkscale or dynasty-era cornerback Clayton Holmes.
- 59: OLB Tyrus Wheat - Wheat wore No. 91 in his first Dallas stint. After a one-year stay in Detroit (wearing No. 99), he's back with the Cowboys. His new No. 59 has seen Cowboys luminaries including Anthony Hitchens, Darrin Smith, and Dat Nguyen.
- 64: OT Wanya Morris - Newly added by the Cowboys to add depth at the tackle position, Morris should feel right at home in No. 64. That same jersey hung in his locker at Tennessee and Alabama in college, as well as for his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Longtime Cowboys fans will recall the number belonging to versatile offensive lineman Tom Rafferty for 14 outstanding years.
- 77: OT Broderick Jones - Jones steps into the jersey formerly worn by eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith, perhaps hinting at a hope in Dallas that the former first-round draft pick will blossom in a way he didn't in Pittsburgh. Then again, that's also the number he wore in an underachieving stint with the Steelers. He'll now compete for the starting right tackle job.
- 80: WR Camden Brown - The surprise darling of the preseason will begin his Cowboys career in the same jersey once donned by both Alvin Harper and Tony Hill. That WR duo has 670 catches, over 11,000 yards, and three Super Bowl rings between them, so the undrafted free agent has his work cut out for him when he puts on the No. 80.
- 81: WR Jordan Hudson - The TCU and SMU product is staying in the Metroplex to serve on the Cowboys' practice squad for 2026. He'll do it wearing the number that Terrell Owens, Rocket Ismail, and Billy Howton made famous as wide receivers in Dallas... and the same number that Super Bowl XII scapegoat Jackie Smith was wearing when he dropped that ball in the end zone.
- 90: DT Jonathan Bullard - Fans haven't seen much from Bullard, who signed in March but has been sidelined for most of the summer with a groin injury. He wore No. 98 during camp, and some hope his vacating that number now is somehow leaving the door (and a jersey) open for a Maxx Crosby addition. But Bullard also wore No. 90 (DeMarcus Lawrence's old Cowboys number) in college at Florida, and at stops in Chicago, Arizona, and Minnesota, so maybe not.
- 93: DT Elijah Garcia - The 28-year-old had a good preseason with Carolina and had been with four other teams prior to that. Now on the practice squad in Dallas, he'll take the old No. 93 jersey of Anthony Spencer, Peppi Zellner, and- most recently- Jay Toia.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Jersey numbers revealed for 15 Cowboys, including surprise for rookie Caleb Downs
