A Saints Hall of Famer leads a group of some outstanding players who have worn No. 29 in team history. Rookie CB Quincy Riley has big shoes to fill:
There is less than a month, just 29 days, before the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals square off in the opening week of the 2025 NFL season. Rookie cornerback Quincy Riley wears No. 29 for the Saints at the moment. Riley takes over the number from former standout cornerback Paulson Adebo, who departed as a free agent this offseason. He also looks to continue a tradition of good players in that number. Here is the full list of New Orleans players that wore it.
Saints' History of No. 29
- TE Ray Ogden (1967)
- CB Gene Howard (1968-70)
- CB Richard Harvey (1971)
- CB Billie Hayes (1972)
- CB Mo Spencer (1974-78)
- CB Rodney Lewis (1982-84)
- CB Reggie Sutton (1987-88)
- RB Undra Johnson (1989)
- S Vencie Glenn (1991)
- S Keith Taylor (1992-93)
- S Vinnie Clark (1994)
- CB Mark McMillan (1996)
- S Sammy Knight (1997-2002)
- S Keyuo Craver (1993)
- S Josh Bullocks (2005-08)
- CB Chris McAlister (2009)
- S Herana-Daze Jones (2009)
- RB Chris Ivory (2010-12)
- RB Khiry Robinson (2013-15)
- RB John Kuhn (2016)
- S Kurt Coleman (2018)
- S Johnson Bademosi (2019)
- CB Paulson Adebo (2021-24)
- CB Quincy Riley (current)
The first to wear 29 for New Orleans was Ray Ogden, doing so for just two outings in the franchise's inaugural season. Gene Howard was the first defensive player and first to be drafted by New Orleans to wear the jersey. A seventh round choice in 1968, Howard played three seasons and 36 games for the Saints and in the process had 5 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Richard Harvey played only three games as a Saints defensive back. His son, also Richard Harvey, played three seasons as a New Orleans linebacker from 1995 to 1997.
Mo Spencer was second on the 1978 New Orleans squad with 4 interceptions. Spencer played four seasons as a Saint. His 49 games are quietly the fourth most of anyone to wear 29 for the team. Rodney Lewis and Reggie Sutton, respectively, followed Spencer in the 29 jersey. They combined to give the team five seasons of solid play as backup cornerbacks. Keith Taylor would do the same in the early 1990s for two seasons at safety, intercepting 4 passes in 32 games. Vencie Glenn, Vinnie Clark, and Mark McMillan all made significant impacts with other NFL teams, but not so much in one year each with New Orleans.
The most productive player to wear No. 29 for the Saints was safety Sammy Knight. Signed as an undrafted rookie from the USC Trojans in 1997, Knight was instantly a game-changing ball hawk who became one of the finest safeties in franchise history. He played 94 games over his six seasons with the team, the most of any New Orleans player to wear 29.
Knight had 28 interceptions while with the Saints, third highest on the franchise's all-time list. He returned 4 of those picks for scores, most in team history, with his 464 return yards second on the franchise career list. Knight had at least five interceptions in five of his six seasons with the Saints, adding 10 fumble recoveries and 5 sacks. In 2011, Knight was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
The second-longest tenure, 62 games, for a New Orleans player who's worn No. 29 is Josh Bullocks. A Round 2 pick in the 2005 NFL draft from the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Bullocks is also the highest drafted player by the Saints to wear the number. Bullocks had 6 interceptions and 27 passes broken up with New Orleans, adding 4 forced fumbles and a sack.
A pair of undrafted running backs that followed each other and wore 29 most certainly made impacts with the New Orleans offense. Chris Ivory, from Tiffin University, surprisingly made the squad as an undrafted rookie in 2010. Over the next three years, he'd be an exciting part of the backfield rotation. Ivory rushed for 1,307 yards and 8 scores as a Saint, including a team-high 716 as a rookie. Upon leaving New Orleans as a free agent, Ivory would have a 1,000-yard campaign and several other standout years with the New York Jets.
Out of West Texas A&M, Khiry Robinson followed in Ivory's footsteps as a surprising undrafted rookie contributor in 2013. Robinson appeared in 28 contests over three seasons with the Saints, and like Ivory became an exciting part of the backfield rotation. In those three seasons, Robinson picked up 766 yards on the ground and scored 8 times, adding a memorable postseason performance in two 2014 playoff outings. Like Ivory, Robinson left the Saints for the New York Jets. However, a gruesome broken leg suffered in his last year with New Orleans would cut his career short. Fullback John Kuhn followed Ivory and Robinson in the No. 29 jersey, providing two years of stellar play as a lead blocker. He is the last offensive player to wear the number.
Paulson Adebo joined the Saints as a Round 3 choice in the NFL draft from the Stanford Cardinal. Adebo immediately earned a starring role in the defense and appeared in 52 games over four years with New Orleans. It is the second longest stint for a Saints player in No. 29. Over that span, Adebo had 10 interceptions while breaking up 43 passes, with the latter being among the most in the NFL during that stretch. He allowed an outstanding 60% completion percentage when targeted in man coverage before a broken leg cut his 2024 season short. Adebo departed as a free agent to the New York Giants this offseason, opening the door for exciting rookie Quincy Riley to take over No. 29.
Time will tell if Riley can make the same defensive impact as Adebo or Sammy Knight, but the rookie fourth-round choice is off to an extremely strong start in training camp.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 29 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 29
Category: Football
