22 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 22 jersey

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22 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 22 jersey

Bob Rose , Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Sat, Aug 22, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Saturday means 22 days until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints will open 2026 on the road when they travel to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Veteran cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. is wearing No. 22 for New Orleans .

Emerson was signed this offseason to fortify the cornerback position. He started training camp wearing the No. 47 before recently switching to the 22 jersey. As such, he's poised to become the 21st New Orleans player to wear 22. Our countdown to kickoff series rolls on by looking at all of them.

Saints History of No. 22

RB Charlie Brown (1967-68)
RB Elijah Pitts (1970)
RB Gary Lewis (1970)
CB Dee Martin (1971)
RB Howard Stevens (1973-74)
CB Benny Johnson (1976)
CB Ricky Ray (1979-81)
RB Tyrone Anthony (1984-85)
CB Van Jakes (1986-88)
CB Derrick Taylor (1987)
CB Michael Mayes (1989)
RB Gil Fenerty (1990-91)
RB Brad Muster (1993)
RB Lorenzo Neal (1994-96)
CB Tyronne Drakeford (1998-99)
CB Fred Thomas (2000-07)
CB Tracy Porter (2008-11)
RB Mark Ingram (2013-18, 2022)
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (2019-21)
WR Rashid Shaheed (2023-25)
CB Martin Emerson Jr. (current)

Charlie Brown was the first player and first to be drafted by the Saints to wear No. 22. A Round 10 selection in the team's inaugural 1967 draft, Brown had just 16 yards rushing but 2 touchdowns in six games over the franchise's first two seasons. The Saints acquired future Green Bay Packers NFL Hall of Fame running backs Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung for the first year in 1967. In 1970, they tried that same philosophy with former Packers star Elijah Pitts. The strategy had similar disappointing results, with Pitts rushing for only 96 yards on 32 attempts in six games.

A fourth-round pick in the 1971 NFL draft, Dee Martin was the first defensive player to don No. 22. Martin had 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries while starting all 14 contests as a rookie. However, he was placed on injured reserve the following year and spent just that one season in the NFL. Pitts and Martin were two of the 12 (out of 20) players to wear No. 22 for New Orleans that used the uniform for two years or fewer.

Sep 25, 1994; San Francisco, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints full back Lorenzo Neal (22) in action against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK

Van Jakes was the first since Charlie Brown 20 years earlier to wear No. 22 for more than two years. Jakes was an underrated player in the Saints secondary through three years and 40 games. He had 8 interceptions over that span. Gil Fenerty was an underrated offensive contributor into the early 1990s. A Round 7 choice from Holy Cross in 1986, Fenerty played three years in the CFL before joining the Saints in 1990. He'd be with the team two years as a quality reserve back, scoring 7 touchdowns and picking up 1,276 yards from scrimmage.

A 1988 first round draft bust with the Chicago Bears , Brad Muster came to New Orleans in 1993 as the Saints' own 1988 draft pick, Craig Heyward, headed to Chicago. Muster was with the Saints for two years, only wearing No. 22 his first season as he picked up just 214 rushing yards. Lorenzo Neal took over No. 22 in 1994 after wearing No. 23 as a fourth-round choice in the 1993 NFL draft. Neal had a 16-year career as one of the most respected fullbacks in the NFL, with four of those years as a Saint. He only wore 23 as a rookie before switching to No. 22.

Nov. 6, 2005; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Fred Thomas (22) returns an interception against the Chicago Bears as Bobby Wade (84) tries to hang on for the tackle in the first half of action at Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium. This was the Saints second game back in Louisiana at LSU since Hurricane Katrina. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports © 2005 John David Mercer

Tyronne Drakeford had a solid career in the Saints defensive backfield after coming over from San Francisco . Drakeford had 4 interceptions for the 1998 squad, returning one for a touchdown. Fred Thomas followed him in the No. 22 jersey in 2000. While Thomas often faced the ire of New Orleans fans and media, his 109 games over eight years is the second longest stint for by any Saint in a No. 22 uniform. Thomas had 13 interceptions, forced 9 fumbles, and broke up 77 throws during his time in New Orleans, including 9 picks over a two-year stretch between 2002 and 2003.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter (22) celebrates with teammates Malcolm Jenkins (27) and Scott Shanle (58) after scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter of the NFL's Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami, Florida, February 7, 2010. The Saints defeated the Colts 31-17. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES)

A much more popular Tracy Porter succeeded Thomas in the No. 22 uniform as a second round choice in the 2008 NFL draft. Porter is best-known for his critical interception in the 2010 NFC Championship Game, then the 74-yard interception return for a touchdown to clinch the Saints win in Super Bowl XLIV. However, he was an outstanding playmaker at corner for four years with New Orleans. Over that span, Porter had 7 interceptions, 32 pass breakups, and 4 fumbles forced. Last year, Tracy Porter was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.

While Porter was responsible for a couple of iconic moments in franchise history, the standard for No. 22 with the Saints is Mark Ingram. The Heisman Trophy winning running back from the Alabama Crimson Tide was the 28th choice in Round 1 of the 2011 NFL draft, making him the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 22. While he wore three different numbers with the Saints, Ingram also played more games in a No. 22 jersey than any other New Orleans player.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 24: Mark Ingram #22 of the New Orleans Saints reacts after a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 24, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Over his first few seasons, Ingram shared backfield duties with other talents. Once becoming the featured back, Ingram had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons and another of over 960 yards over a four-year stretch. He left as a free agent after the 2018 campaign, but returned to New Orleans in 2021 for two years to cap off his career. At the time of his retirement after 2022, Ingram's 6,500 rushing yards, 52 scores as a runner, and 1,451 attempts were all tops in franchise history. Once eligible, Mark Ingram is a lock for the Saints Hall of Fame.

Between Ingram's stints in the No. 22 uniform was C.J. Gardner-Johnson , a fourth round choice in the 2019 NFL draft. Gardner-Johnson made an instant impact for the New Orleans defense. Over his three years with the squad, he had 5 interceptions while breaking up 28 passes along with recording 3 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Gardner-Johnson was poised to be a centerpiece for the Saints defense, but his immaturity over a contract dispute forced a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles during 2022 training camp.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 14: Rashid Shaheed #22 of the New Orleans Saints scores a touchdown reception against Jason Pinnock #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second half in the game at Caesars Superdome on September 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

After Gardner-Johnson's tantrums and Ingram's retirement, the No. 22 jersey became available for Rashid Shaheed in 2023. The explosive Shaheed burst onto the scene as an undrafted rookie in 2022 wearing No. 89. Once switching to No. 22 in 2023, Shaheed earned first team All-Pro honors as a punt returner averaging 13.6 yards and a touchdown. He added 46 receptions for 719 yards that season. Shaheed was off to an even better start in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury before the midway point. New Orleans traded Shaheed midway through the 2025 campaign, thus opening the door for Martin Emerson Jr. to take over the uniform. Before missing all of 2025 with injury, Emerson was one of the league's better cornerbacks for three years with the Cleveland Browns . He'll certainly have the opportunity to strengthen the New Orleans defensive backfield.