Patrick Queen is going back to single digits.
The Ravens inside linebacker announced Tuesday that he’s switching from the No. 48 jersey number, which he wore as a rookie, to No. 6.
“I got the city on my back and the city told me, no matter the pressure or stress won’t bend [or] fold me,” he wrote on Twitter.
Under a new NFL rule relaxing the restrictions on jersey numbers, linebackers can now wear Nos. 1 to 59 and Nos. 90 to 99. As part of the NFL’s agreement with its manufacturing partners, however, players changing their number for this season must buy out the existing inventory of jersey distributors.
Queen wore No. 8 in high school and at LSU, where he developed into a first-round pick. He joked on Twitter last month with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’s worn the number since college, asking him, “how much you want.”
Ravens punter Johnny Townsend, signed in December last year, wore No. 6 last season but has since switched to No. 18, according to the team’s roster.
Elsewhere on defense, safety DeShon Elliott tweeted Tuesday that he’s sticking with No. 32. He wrote that punter Sam Koch “wouldn’t give up the 4″ — Elliott’s number at Texas — so he’s sticking with No. 32 “for life.”
“I think 32 fits you well,” Koch said. “Thank you kind sir,” Elliott replied, with a laughing emoji.
More: The Ravens have signed undrafted kicker Jake Verity, who went 74-for-98 (75.6%) on field-goal attempts over five seasons at East Carolina. In 2019, he was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to college football’s top kicker, after finishing 24-for-29 on field-goal attempts and making all 33 extra-point tries.