May 05, 2023

D'Andre Swift gets No. 0 for the Eagles

D'Andre Swift, the local product and new Eagles running back, will be the franchise's first player to wear No. 0.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Kirthmon F. Dozier/USA TODAY Sports

New Eagles running back and Philadelphia product D'Andre Swift.

New running back and local product D'Andre Swift made an Eagles first before he even set foot on the field.

With the opening of rookie minicamp on Friday down at the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles announced the jersey numbers for their incoming draft selections, undrafted free agents, offseason acquisitions, and a list of returning faces looking for a change.

The most notable among them being Swift, acquired in a Day 3 draft trade from Detroit, who will be the first player in franchise history to wear the number 0.

The first 0 in Philly#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/fZCBOxgxuL
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 5, 2023

In late February, the Eagles submitted a proposal to the NFL to allow players to wear No. 0, which came with the assumption that there was someone on the roster who wanted it.

The proposal made it through, and a month and change later, Kenny Gainwell No. 0 jerseys were up for sale on the Eagles' website.

Clearly, he's not changing his number to that now, though it is still going to a running back. As for what happened there, an error, maybe? Or there very well could've been a change of plans after the draft and a deal made between Swift and Gainwell for the number. It happens pretty often in sports, and if so, Gainwell probably got a nice dinner or a watch out of it. (He's still No. 14 on the Eagles' website, by the way).

Zero as a jersey number isn't entirely unheard of in professional sports (Tyrese Maxey wears it for the Sixers, for example), but it's definitely uncharted ground for the NFL, which, until recently, had numbers blocked out by position for years.

So when Swift takes the field in September, he'll definitely stand out off the bat.

As for the Eagles' two first-rounders out of Georgia – pass rushers Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith – Carter will have No. 98 and Smith No. 3.

"It looks good on me," Carter, who wore 88 at Georgia, said.