Friday marks 37 days until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints travel north to kick off 2026 when they play at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Cornerback Dalys Beanum currently wears No. 37 for New Orleans.Beanum is entering his second training camp with the Saints and competing for one of the last cornerback spots. If he makes the team, he’d be the 19th player to wear the 37 uniform in New Orleans during the regular season. We take a look at each who wore it in our ongoing countdown to kickoff series.
Saints History of No. 37
- LB Steve Stonebreaker (1967-68)
- S Tom Myers (1972-81)
- RB Mel Gray (1986-88)
- S Bennie Thompson (1989-91)
- CB Jimmy Spencer (1992-95)
- CB Je’Rod Cherry (1996-97)
- S Chad Cota (1998)
- RB Dino Philyaw (1999)
- S Todd Franz (2000)
- S Steve Gleason (2000-06)
- S Matt Giordano (2010)
- S Jerico Nelson (2012)
- CB Eric Frampton (2013)
- CB Terrence Frederick (2014)
- S Chris Banjo (2016)
- CB Arthur Maulet (2017-18)
- RB Tony Jones (2020-21)
- RB Jordan Mims (2023)
- CB Dalys Beanum (2025-current)
Steve Stonebreaker was the first to wear a 37 for the Saints, doing so over 24 games for the first two seasons of the team’s existence. The physical Stonebreaker lived up to his name, while also recording a sack and two fumble recoveries. Tom Myers was the first New Orleans draft pick to wear No. 37. A Round 3 choice in the 1972 NFL draft out of Syracuse, Myers was also the highest drafted player by the Saints to wear the jersey.
Myers had an incredible 10-year career on often bad New Orleans defenses. He suited up in 136 games for the Saints, the most for anyone who wore 37. Myers had 36 interceptions, returning two for scores, and had at least three picks in seven years. He remains second in team history in interceptions, with his 621 interception return yardage tops in franchise history by a wide margin. In 1989, Tommy Myers was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. He was the first defensive back to receive that honor.
Mel Gray was the first offensive player to wear No. 37 for New Orleans. Gray came to the Saints from the Los Angeles Express from the original USFL. He was a second-round choice in the 1984 Supplemental Draft, but wouldn’t join New Orleans until 1986 when the USFL folded. While listed as a running back, Gray got only 22 offensive touches for 141 yards during his three years and 42 games as a Saint. His impact came as one of the NFL’s best kick returners. While with the Saints, Gray averaged an incredible 13.4 yards per punt return, scoring once, and also 23.4 yards on kickoff returns with another touchdown. Gray was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1989, where he’d go on to four All-Pro seasons and member of the 1990s All-decade team.
Local star Bennie Thompson replaced Gray not only in No. 37, but as a Saints special teams standout. Thompson was listed as a defensive back, where he did have 3 interceptions over three years with the team. Thompson’s presence was most felt on special teams, where he provided fearsome kick coverage and earned a spot in the 1991 Pro Bowl. Jimmy Spencer was a productive cornerback for the Saints over four seasons, with his 64 games the third longest of any player to wear 37. Spencer had 9 interceptions over a two-year stretch between 1994 and 1995, leading New Orleans defenders in that category both years. Since Spencer left after the 1995 campaign, 13 players have worn 37 in the last 30 years. Only one of them wore it for more than two seasons, with nine wearing it for a year or less.
Tommy Myers had a terrific career that culminated in the Saints Hall of Fame. However, Myers doesn’t have a statue outside the Superdome. That honor belongs to Steve Gleason. A special teams standout for the Saints over seven seasons and 84 games, Gleason wore 37 longer than anyone for New Orleans other than Myers. Gleason’s most famous play happened in the Saints return to the Superdome in 2006 after the tragic devastation from Hurricane Katrina the previous year. Facing the Atlanta Falcons, Gleason blocked a punt resulting in a touchdown and also eventually resulting in a statue of him outside the stadium depicting the event.
Since Gleason’s retirement after the 2006 season, the Saints have had eight players wear No. 37. Defensive backs Chris Banjo and Arthur Maulet each had some nice moments, as did running back Tony Jones, but only for short stints. Dalys Beanum now gets his second turn to don the 37 made famous by Myers and Gleason.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 37 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 37 jersey