On Friday, it was revealed that the Dallas Cowboys gave their newest lineman an interesting jersey number. Saahdiq Charles, who ended a brief one-year retirement to join the Cowboys, was issued No. 77.
That raised eyebrows since the number belonged to former All-Pro Tyron Smith, who proudly wore that jersey for 13 seasons. The Cowboys don’t retire jersey numbers, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see Smith’s number handed out, especially since he only announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Smith isn’t likely someone who will say anything about Charles getting his number, but his teammates will speak up for him. That was the case with former Cowboy Jourdan Lewis, who took to social media to put the team on blast for the decision.
Lewis, who spent eight years in Dallas, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
To highlight the respect Smith commands, Lewis didn’t make a sound when his number was taken by former teammate Juanyeh Thomas. He did, however, feel the need to point out that Smith’s number shouldn’t have been given out, at least not this quickly.
Dallas might not officially retire jerseys, but they don’t give out No. 8 in honor of Troy Aikman, No. 12 for Roger Staubach, No. 22 for Emmitt Smith, and No. 74 for Bob Lilly. Smith might not have won a Super Bowl as those players did, but he’s one of the best tackles to ever suit up for Dallas.