Just 31 days separate us from the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints are on the road to kick off 2026, traveling north to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Backup safety Jordan Howden wears No. 31 for New Orleans through training camp.
Howden is entering his fourth NFL season, all with the Saints. He's the 13th player in franchise history to have worn the 31 jersey. We have a look at all of them in our continuing countdown to kickoff series.
Saints History of No. 31
- RB Jim Taylor (1967)
- CB Richard Newsome (2001)
- CB Aaron Glenn (2008)
- CB Pierson Prioleau (2009-10)
- CB Jerome Murphy (2012)
- CB Chris Carr (2013)
- S Jairus Byrd (2014-16)
- S Chris Banjo (2017-18)
- CB Desmond Trufant (2021)
- CB Bryce Thompson (2022)
- RB Eno Benjamin (2022)
- RB David Johnson (2022)
- S Jordan Howden (2023-current)
Jim Taylor was the first player to suit up in a No. 31 jersey for New Orleans and also the marquee name in the franchise's inaugural season. Taylor is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but for his achievements with Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers for nine seasons before joining the Saints. In his only year as a Saint, his last in the NFL, Taylor rushed for a team-high 390 yards and 2 touchdowns.
After Taylor, there incredibly wouldn't be another player to wear No. 31 in New Orleans for 34 years until 2001 when Richard Newsome did it. In the 24 years since, 12 players have donned the No. 31 uniform. Only two of those 12 have worn it for more than two years, assuming that Howden makes this year's squad, with eight being with the Saints one year or less. Aaron Glenn is the most recognizable name of that group. Glenn was a star defensive back for the Jets, Texans, and Cowboys before spending the last season (4 games) of a 15-year career with the Saints. Glenn actually spent more time with New Orleans, five years, as a defensive coach than he did as a player.
Jairus Byrd was one of the only two out of the 13 players to wear No. 31 that did it over two years. However, his abysmal three years as a Saint were three too long. Byrd was brought in as a high-priced free agent during the 2014 offseason. Injuries kept him out of 12 games that first year and he proved to be an overpriced liability when he was on the field. Byrd played 33 games with New Orleans, tied for the most of anyone to wear 31 for the franchise. One of the worst free agent signings in team history, Byrd had just 3 interceptions and 8 passes broken up while averaging 52 tackles per year while with New Orleans.
Defensive back Chris Banjo didn't make much of a defensive impact in his two years with the Saints. Unlike a waste of a roster space like Byrd, Banjo was a good special teams contributor over his two years and games with the team. His 32 games wearing No. 31 is third in team history. In 2021 and 2022, four players combined for just 16 games in the 31 jersey. Desmond Trufant and David Johnson were washed-up veterans by the time they got to the Saints, while Bryce Thompson and Eno Benjamin were simply not able to jump-start their careers.
Out of the 13 Saints to wear 31, only Jordan Howden was drafted by New Orleans. A Round 5 choice in the 2023 NFL draft from the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Howden has been either erratic or a non-factor during his first two seasons. Howden has played 49 games with New Orleans, surpassing Byrd as the most by any Saint to wear the 31 jersey. Assuming he makes the team, Howden will need to improve his performance for a defense in need of playmakers. Over his first two seasons, Howden has 2 interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble, and has allowed a 67.4% completion percentage when targeted in man coverage. Limited range and coverage struggles relegated him to mostly special teams duty in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 31 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 31 jersey