46 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 46

The New Orleans Saints will host the Arizona Cardinals in their 2025 regular season opener in 46 days. Undrafted rookie punter James Burnip wears No. 46 for New Orleans at the moment. He is trying to become just the ninth player to wear that jersey number in the regular season for New Orleans. Here is the full list.

Saints' History of No. 46

• WR Danny Abramowicz (1967-73)
• S Jim Kearney (1976)
• RB Hokie Gajan (1982-85)
• S Sean Lumpkin (1992-96)
• LS Kendall Gammon (1998)
• RB Ladell Betts (2010)
• CB Ken Crawley (2016)
• RB Adam Prentice (2021-24)
• P James Burnip (current)

A Round 17 choice in the 1967 NFL draft, the first for the franchise, Danny Abramowicz became the Saints player to wear 46. He also did it best and longest. Abramowicz was with New Orleans for their first seven seasons, suiting up in 85 contests. Over that span, Abramowicz had 309 receptions for 4,875 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Abramowicz was also the first NFL All-Pro for the Saints, registering the franchise's first 1,000-yard receiving season (1,015) in 1969 with an NFL-high 73 receptions. He remains fifth on the Saints all-time career list in receiving yardage and sixth in touchdowns. Abramowicz was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1988, Abramowicz and Archie Manning were the first to be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. Abramowicz would also return from 1997 to 1999 to serve as the Saints offensive coordinator.

Baton Rouge native and LSU Tigers star Hokie Gajan was a Round 10 choice by the Saints in their loaded 1981 NFL draft. Gajan became a fan favorite with a workmanlike four-year career in New Orleans. Over that time, he rushed for 1,358 yards, picked up another 515 as a receiver, and scored 14 touchdowns. For several years, Gajan was also a color commentator for the Saints radio broadcasts. He was posthumously awarded the Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis honor after his death from cancer in 2016.

A fourth round pick in the 1992 NFL draft, Sean Lumpkin is the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 46. Lumpkin played five years as a Saint, with his 67 games second only to Abramowicz for a New Orleans player wearing 46. He forced 7 fumbles and had 2 interceptions with the Saints, returning one for a touchdown.

After eight productive years with the Washington Redskins, Ladell Betts was with the Saints for his final season in the NFL. He played in eight games, accounting for two scores and 291 yards from scrimmage. Kendall Gammon and Ken Crawley spent four and six seasons with the Saints, respectively. However, each wore 46 for only one year of their tenure with the team. Crawley's was his first in 2016 as an undrafted rookie, starting five of his 15 game appearances and breaking up 8 passes with a forced fumble.

Fullback Adam Prentice has worn No. 46 with the Saints for the previous four seasons. Prentice appeared in 48 contests as the lead blocker for New Orleans running backs, third among all to wear the number. Attempting to be the next in 46 is Burnip, a former Australian rules football player who was a standout punter at Alabama.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 46 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 46