Compton Does Not Get Caught Up in Numbers Game

Daren Bates may no longer be a Tennessee Titan, but the impact he made in three seasons with the team will be honored in some way.

Linebacker Will Compton, who returns to the Titans on a one-year deal after spending last season with the Oakland Raiders, had to switch jersey numbers. Instead of No. 51, which he wore with Tennessee in 2018, the 30-year-old will wear Bates’ former jersey number, No. 53.

“Right when I got the call I texted him [Bates] and I said, ‘Hey, I would like to wear 53 to honor you,’” Compton said. “He just laughed. That’s what I wanted to do.”

Bates, now with the Houston Texans, came to the Titans after spending three seasons with the St. Louis Rams and one with the Oakland Raiders.

In 45 appearances with the Titans, the 29-year-old linebacker made a name for himself on special teams. He led the team with 11 special teams stops in 2019 after he finished second in each of the previous two seasons, including a career-high 16 stops in 2017.

In other jersey number news, Titans star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who signed with the team this past weekend, will wear No. 99 this season instead of his usual No. 90, which belongs to defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, one of five team captains this season.

Signed by the Titans in May, cornerback Johnathan Joseph will wear No. 33 for the first time in his NFL career after wearing No. 24, which belongs to safety Kenny Vaccaro, for nine years with the Houston Texans.

While he has become accustomed to No. 51, Compton wore No. 53 as an undrafted rookie with Washington in 2015. He also knew that linebacker David Long’s family members had already begun to purchase the No. 51 jersey, which he has worn since the start of last season.

Compton has plenty of reasons to take pride in wearing No. 53 once again.

“I didn’t want to be some a** hole that tries to buy it from him [Long] or be like, ‘I need this number back or it’s mine,’” Compton said. “As a matter of fact, my rookie year I was on the practice squad all year long. I was active for one game and that one game, I was 53.

“So it kind of has some meaning to it. Between Daren Bates, my rookie year and everything, I wasn’t upset at all having to wear that number.”