Cowboys rookie Shemar James reveals jersey number tied to team legend

The Dallas Cowboys kick off their rookie minicamp on Friday as their 2025 NFL draft class begins to get to work.

Players began arriving on Thursday, and have been excited to share photos of their new facility. One player to do this was linebacker Shemar James, who shared his new locker via his Instagram story.

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In sharing the picture, James also revealed his new number with the Cowboys. While he wore No. 6 for the Florida Gators (a number that belongs to safety Donovan Wilson), James will be sporting No. 50 in Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Shemar James has been assigned number 50, according to his Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/0KQ1VwD7tl
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) May 2, 2025

Seeing a linebacker wear No. 50 in Dallas will always bring up fond memories of one of the greatest linebackers in team history, Sean Lee.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee returns an interception in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

A second-round pick out of Penn State in 2010, Lee spent 10 years with the Cowboys and was one of their strongest leaders. He was a quarterback for the defense who had a nose for the ball, and could change the momentum with a single play.

Unfortunately, Lee was held back by injuries throughout much of his career. He played a full 16-game campaign just once (2019) but still finished with 802 tackles, four sacks, 14 interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns.

James, a fifth-round pick this season, will have some big shoes to fill wearing the number. Even last season, Eric Kendricks wore No. 50 and had 138 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions for the Cowboys.

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