16 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 16

In 16 days, the New Orleans Saints will host the Arizona Cardinals in their 2025 regular season opener. Second-year wide receiver Bub Means was supposed to wear No. 16 for the Saints this year, but will miss the season with an ankle injury. There haven't been many players to wear this number in Saints history. However, a few significant names have worn the jersey, including one major contributor and Saints Hall of Famer.

Saints' History of No. 16

• S Bo Burris (1967-69)
• QB Steve Ramsey (1970)
• P Tom Blanchard (1974-78)
• QB Ken Stabler (1982-84)
• QB Mike Buck (1991-93)
• WR Lance Moore (2006-13)
• WR Brandon Coleman (2015-17)
• WR Bennie Fowler (2020)
• QB Ian Book (2021)
• WR Bub Means (2024-current)

Bo Burris was a second round choice by the Saints in their first draft of 1967, making him the first to wear No. 16 for the team and the highest drafted player to wear it. Burris played three seasons, recording 4 interceptions with a scoring return and recovering 3 fumbles. Steve Ramsey was the first offensive player to don 16 for the Saints. A Round 5 pick in the 1970 NFL draft, Ramsey only suited up in one game and attempted 2 passes without a completion. By 1971, Ramsey would be with the Denver Broncos.

Punter Tom Blanchard would join the Saints in 1974. He would be the team's punter for five seasons, with his 71 games being the second longest stint of any New Orleans player to wear No. 16. Blanchard's 447 punts rank third in franchise history. His 71-yard punt in 1974 was the longest in the NFL that season and the second longest in the history of the franchise.

Ken Stabler forged a Hall of Fame career with the Oakland Raiders. In 1982, Stabler joined the Saints to close out the last three years of his career. Over those three seasons, Stabler started 22 of his 25 games played with an 11-11 record. With the Saints, he had a 57.2% completion percentage while throwing for 3,670 yards with 17 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. It wouldn't be until nearly a decade after Stabler until another player wore a No. 16 jersey. That was Mike Buck, a Round 6 choice in the 1990 draft. Buck wouldn't take a snap for the Saints until 1991. He'd appear in eight games for New Orleans, making one start at quarterback and throwing for a total of 519 yards with 4 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a 58.3% completion percentage.

Over another decade would pass until another Saints player wore No. 16, when undrafted wide receiver Lance Moore made the squad. Coming in with low expectations from fans and media, Moore would go on to be one of the most productive receivers in New Orleans history. Moore had a breakout year in 2008, catching 79 passes for 928 yards and 10 scores to lead the team in all three categories. Injuries hampered Moore's 2009 season, but he got healthy down the stretch and made an acrobatic and critical 2-point conversion catch during the New Orleans Super Bowl XLIV victory.

Between 2010 and 2013, Moore continued to be a clutch performer for a historically prolific Saints offense. In 2012, Moore became just the seventh player in franchise history to have a 1,000-yard receiving season with 1,041 yards on 65 receptions. Lance Moore played 101 games for the Saints over eight years, by far the most of anyone to wear the No. 16 jersey. He totaled 346 receptions for 4,281 yards and 38 touchdowns. He remains in the top-10 in franchise history for catches, receiving yards, and scoring receptions. In 2018, Moore was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.

Brandon Coleman didn't have nearly the same success did as an undrafted wideout. However, Coleman did have some nice moments over his four years and 48 games as a Saint. Coleman had 79 receptions, 1,099 yards, and 8 touchdowns over his career. Bennie Fowler ended a six-year NFL career in New Orleans, but appeared in only five games and contributed 2 catches for 11 yards.

A fourth round choice out of Notre Dame in the 202 draft, Ian Book became the first rookie quarterback to start a game for New Orleans since Archie Manning did it in 1971. It was a nightmarish experience caused by Covid and also stripped the Saints of most of their 1st and 2nd teamers on a national Monday night stage against the Miami Dolphins. Predictably, the results were awful as Book completed just 12 of 20 throws for 135 yards with no scores and 2 interceptions in a 20-6 loss. That's been the only game Book has played in his career. He was released by the Saints in 2022, serving as a backup or practice squad player for four teams in three years.

Bub Means took over No. 16 in 2024 as a rookie fifth round choice from the Pitt Panthers. Means was starting to show some productive potential, catching 9 passes for 118 yards and a score in his first three games of extensive action. Unfortunately, an ankle injury ended his rookie year before the midway point. Even worse for both Means and the Saints was another ankle injury suffered this preseason, ending his second season before it could even begin.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 16 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 16