With roster cuts finalized this past week, some highly coveted jersey numbers suddenly became available, and we learned Saturday morning that several Bucs have decided to take advantage and change their numbers ahead of the 2025 season.
NFL Jersey Numbers on X/Twitter is always on top of these changes and announcements, and that account had quite a few updates Saturday, with the biggest being that of Bucs first-round pick Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka wore No. 2 during his illustrious career at Ohio State, but when he was drafted by Tampa Bay in April, the No. 2 was already taken by quarterback Kyle Trask, who had been wearing it since he was drafted in 2021.
But with Trask being let go this week, Egbuka will take advantage and don the same No. 2 that he wore with the Buckeyes.
Here are some of the other reported number changes for the Bucs, courtesy of NFL Jersey Numbers and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman:
So @nfl_jersey_num is an authority on these things and is reporting some big changes for Bucs:
Emeka Egbuka from 9 to 2
Tez Johnson from 83 to 15
Teddy Bridgewater from 16 to 10
Josh Williams from 37 to 18
Riley Dixon from 92 to 9
(presumably McMillan from 15 to 11)— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 30, 2025
In addition from Egbuka going from No. 9 to No. 2, Tez Johnson will switch from No. 83 to No. 15, Teddy Bridgewater will go from No. 16 to No. 10, Josh Williams will flip from No. 37 to No. 18 and Riley Dixon will go from No. 92 to No. 9. What’s notable there is that Johnson will take No. 15, meaning there’s also a switch in the works from fellow wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who wore No. 15 during his rookie year and throughout this offseason/preseason.
Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
The presumed change for McMillan will be to No. 11, which he wore at Washington during his college career.
Trask’s departure and McMillan’s switch opened up No. 2 and No. 15, respectively, while Trey Palmer’s release opened up No. 10 for Bridgewater. The No. 18 became available for Williams with the departure of Rakim Jarrett, while Dixon will take the No. 9 that Egbuka is giving up for his own switch.
Bridgewater last wore No. 10 in 2023 with the Lions after wearing No. 5 for the entirety of his career leading up to that point. Meanwhile, Dixon gets the No. 9 he wore during stints with the Broncos and Giants.
Four Bucs Go Back To Their College Jersey Numbers
The majority of these jersey number changes will result in players getting to wear what they wore in college. In addition to Emeka Egbuka getting the No. 2 he wore at Ohio State and the expected switch leading to Jalen McMillan wearing his No. 11 from Washington, Tez Johnson and Josh Williams are also getting their college numbers.
Johnson wore No. 15 at both Troy and Oregon, and now he’ll get to don that number in his rookie season with the Bucs.
Bucs WR Tez Johnson Photo by: USA Today
As for Williams, he made the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. While he wore No. 37 during training camp and the preseason and the switch to No. 18 may seem weird for a running back, it’s a meaningful number for him. He was awarded the No. 18 at LSU, which is a special number awarded each season to players who “exude leadership, character and dependability.”
Williams was initially a walk-on at LSU and would eventually become a two-time graduate and a national champion. And going from walk-on to No. 18 in purple and gold was a big deal.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Williams said via LSUSports.net. “But it meant a lot to me. Especially being here for the amount of time that I have been here, and seeing the different 18s that have represented our team each year and what they meant to the team.”