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47 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 47 jersey
Just 47 days separate us from now until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. New Orleans will be up north to start the season, traveling to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Offseason addition Martin Emerson Jr., a cornerback, will wear No. 47 for New Orleans to open training camp.
Emerson is expected to strengthen the Saints at cornerback. If he keeps the number, he'd also become the 18th Saint to wear the 47 jersey. Our countdown to kickoff series continues by looking at all of them.
There have been 17 players to wear No. 47 in a regular season game for the Saints. Of those, 14 of them have worn it for two years or less with 10 doing it for less than a year. Bruce Cortez was the first Saint to wear No. 47, though he did so for only one game. A Round 16 pick in their first ever draft of 1967, Cortez was also the first player drafted by New Orleans to wear this number.
Bill Dusenbery was the first offensive player to don 47 for the Saints, but for only eight games in 1970. Virgil Robinson was the first to wear 47 into a second season, spanning 1971 into 1972. Robinson rushed for 97 yards and a score over 14 contests and in 1971 was the team's kick returner. Mike Spivey was the next to wear 47 into a second year nearly a decade later, appearing in 14 games over two seasons. Cornerback Cedric Mack bettered that by one game after almost another decade, wearing 47 through the 1992 and '93 campaigns.
The first of just three players to wear No. 47 for at least three years was Kevin Houser from 2000 through 2008. Listed as a center, Houser was the team's long snapper for 144 games over his seven years. He is the longest-tenured No. 47 for the Saints. The second-longest is Justin Drescher. Also a long snapper, Drescher suited up in 102 contests for New Orleans.
A distant third on games played in No. 47 with the Saints is linebacker Alex Anzalone. A third round choice from the Florida Gators in the 2017 NFL draft, Anzalone is also the highest-drafted player by New Orleans to wear the jersey number. Anzalone was often injured during his time with the team, appearing in 38 of 64 games over his first four years before signing with the Detroit Lions. When he was on the field, he was a productive defender. As a Saint, Anzalone had an interception and forced 3 fumbles while recording 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. This offseason, Anzalone signed as a free agent with the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since Anzalone, Khaleke Hudson appeared in one game for New Orleans wearing the 47 uniform. Danny Stutsman wore 47 during preseason as a rookie in 2025, but switched to 28 by the start of the regular season. Martin Emerson wore numbers 23 and 1 with the Cleveland Browns and 1 in college with Mississippi State. In New Orleans, 1 is worn by Kool-Aid McKinstry and 23 by Julian Blackmon. Whether Emerson keeps 47 or switches to a different jersey remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 47 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 47 jersey
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