NFL uniform power rankings ⬆️⬇️
This is the Paste BN Sports NFL newsletter, 4th and Monday. If this newsletter isn't already getting conveniently delivered to your inbox, click here to subscribe. Paste BN Sports is now on Bluesky! Give us a follow for more of our NFL content.
'Tis the season for new uniform announcements.
The Washington Commanders unveiled a "Fit for Old D.C." uniform.
The New Orleans Saints showed off their new white helmets.
A new look for the Los Angeles Chargers could be revealed this week. And, according to a report, the Green Bay Packers will debut a new alternative uniform when they start training camp. The Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also are slated for new alternative looks. Others will be unleashed via the league's "Rivalries" activation (the AFC East and NFC West are part of that initiative this season).
That's a lot to look forward to if you're an NFL uniform aficionado.
Nate Davis is Paste BN Sports' resident NFL uniform expert, and after the Commanders and Saints revealed new looks he updated his uniform power rankings.
Here's a sampling of some randomly selected teams, as reviewed by Mr. Davis:
28. New England Patriots — I’d venture most NFL fans – and certainly those in the Boston market – would like to see them go back to “Pat Patriot” full time and relegate the “Flying Elvis” logo to the Tom Brady era.
20. Chicago Bears — Classic, traditional and lacking flash … their fantastic suite of socks notwithstanding. The "GSH" on the sleeve has always been a nice touch honoring founder George Halas.
16. Houston Texans — It tracks that the NFL’s youngest team – the Texans are entering their 24th season – is the only one to never change its primary helmet logo, the bull’s head featuring the design of the Texas state flag an underrated one.
11. Indianapolis Colts — If ever there was a team that should just stick to its basic uniform, it might be this one – and the Colts, signature helmet horseshoe and all – have largely done exactly that.
4. Philadelphia Eagles — The return of their classic “Kelly Green” and silver uniforms as throwbacks two years ago was long overdue, their absence forced by the league’s formerly restrictive rules and then the extra time Nike needed to replicate the look once it was reinstated.
📸: LOOK: NFL teams sporting alternative uniforms during the 2024 season
HOT READS 🎯
The best NFL reads from Paste BN and our Sports Network:
🏈 It's important to note that training camps are opening, and Tyler Dragon has a storyline for all 32 teams as they begin preparations for the 2025 NFL season. 🏋🏽♂️
🏈 Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers were ravaged by injuries last season. As the team prepares to open camp, Tyler Dragon writes that the 49ers will look to McCaffrey to stay healthy for a bounce-back 2025 season. 📈
🏈 As training camps get underway across the league, there are still two 2025 first-round draft picks who have yet to sign. 📝
🏈 Draft Wire picks one rookie from every team who could surprise this season. 👀
🏈 Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement over the weekend. Mike Freeman writes about how Suh was one of the most feared defensive players of his era and belongs in the Hall of Fame. 👤
🏈 Patrick Mahomes is "not a big fan of" expanding the NFL regular season to 18 games. 🤨
🏈 The Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman lists the top five franchises that are the best at ruining the hopes and dreams of their diehard fans. 😟
🏈 Jared Goff is still salty about the 2021 trade that sent the quarterback from the Rams to the Lions. 😤
🏈 Joe Burrow revealed that after a burglary at his resident that he has decided to not go through with the purchase of a replica Batmobile. 😞
YOUR TAKES ✍️
We wanna hear from you. What do you want to see from 4th & Monday? Let us know in this survey! 🗳️
KICKOFF COUNTDOWN: 5️⃣2️⃣days ⏳
There are 52 more days until the 2025 NFL season opens with the Kickoff Game between the Dallas Cowboys and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.
With all due respect to Pro Football Hall of Famers Robert Brazile, Mike Webster and Patrick Willis (plus, to-be Hall of Famer Khalil Mack), the greatest-ever NFL player to wear No. 52 is Ray Lewis.
With a pick that the Cleveland Browns acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the 1995 NFL Draft so that the 49ers could select UCLA wide receiver J.J. Stokes, the newly christened Baltimore Ravens selected Ray Lewis with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. In 1997, Lewis earned the first of 12 Pro Bowl selections over his career. He would be a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and is a member of the Hall of Fame's All-Decade team for the 2000s. Lewis won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, earning game MVP honors in Super Bowl 35.
NFL CLASSICS 🏈: FROM THE YOUTUBE ALGORITHM 🎞️
This is where we reprise some NFL lore and recall classic, memorable moments from yesteryear.
Since we're on the topic of throwback/alternate uniforms here, football fans of a certain age will remember the 1994 season. That year, the NFL celebrated its 75th anniversary, and every team sported a throwback uniform at least once that season. Some were a delight, some were just plain lazy, and others were just weird.
Let's look back to Week 3 of the 1994 season, when all 28 teams wore throwback uniforms. And, we do so through the lens of ESPN's iconic highlight show, "NFL Primetime."
If you enjoy reading 4th and Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the writer of this newsletter on social media @jimreineking and drop a line if you want to talk some football 🏈.