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Just 90 days separate us from the New Orleans Saints 2026 season opening game. This season, the Saints will be on the road when facing the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Fourth-year defensive tackle Bryan Bresee wears No. 90 for the team and will be a big part of the defensive scheme.
A former first-round draft pick, Bresee is one of 15 players to wear number 90 in New Orleans franchise history. As our countdown to kickoff series continues, we take a look back at all who did it.
Walter Johnson was the first Saint to put on a number 90 uniform in 1989. He played one season for the team, mostly suiting up on special teams for 15 games. James Williams was the first New Orleans draft choice to wear No. 90, coming to the team as a sixth-round pick in 1990. Williams was with the Saints for five seasons and 78 games, the longest of any player to wear the 90 jersey. During his time in New Orleans, Williams had 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles in mostly backup duty behind Dome Patrol stars Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson.
Defensive tackle Israel Stanley wore No. 90 for only one season in 1995, but made a moderate impact with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. After Stanley, the Saints used a second-round pick on Jared Tomich in the 1997 NFL Draft. Tomich is the second-highest drafted player by the Saints to wear No. 90, with his 55 games the second longest tenure of anyone to wear the jersey. Over his time with New Orleans, Tomich had 10 sacks and forced 5 fumbles.
[IMG alt="San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens (81) is tackled after a 19-yard catch by New Orleans Saints linebacker Ron Warner (C) and defensive end Jared Tomich (top) during the second quarter at 3COM Park, November 22.
CBM/RC"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/new_orle...es_211/671aaf3211a81b23f3700c19c14d5dee[/IMG]
Kenny Smith followed Tomich in the 90 jersey and came to the Saints as a third-round choice in the 2001 NFL Draft. Smith was with the team for three seasons and 30 games, making a minimal impact with 4.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. After Smith, nine players wore the No. 90 in New Orleans over the next 20 years. Only three of those wore it for more than one year, with none doing so for more than two seasons. Four of the nine were in uniform for fewer than 10 games.
One of those one-year players was Nick Fairley, a mammoth defensive tackle that did make an impact during his short stay. In 2016, Fairley had 6.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. The former 13th overall draft choice with the Detroit Lions played the best ball of his career with the Saints. Unfortunately, a heart condition found during the 2017 offseason prematurely ended his career.
Another first-round choice with another team that found success with the Saints was Malcom Brown, signed as a free agent in 2019 from the Patriots. For two seasons in New Orleans, Brown was the team's top interior run defender. He'd contribute 3 sacks and recorded 9 tackles for loss before being traded to the Jaguars after the 2020 season.
After Brown, Tanoh Kpassagnon had the No. 90 jersey for two seasons before switching to 92 for his last two years as a Saint. Wearing 90, Kpassagnon had 6 sacks and was an underrated but versatile defender for the Saints up front.Bryan Bresee is the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear the 90 jersey. If he plays at least seven games in 2026, he'll also be the second longest tenured Saint to wear the jersey. The 29th overall selection in 2023, Bresee has 14.5 sacks, 31 QB hits, and 19 tackles for loss over 49 games. His production dipped a bit in 2025, but Bresee is a vital part of the New Orleans defensive system heading into this season.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Every Saints player to wear No. 90, from Nick Fairley to Bryan Bresee
Continue reading...
A former first-round draft pick, Bresee is one of 15 players to wear number 90 in New Orleans franchise history. As our countdown to kickoff series continues, we take a look back at all who did it.
Saints History of No. 90
- LB Walter Johnson (1989)
- LB James Williams (1990-94)
- DT Israel Stanley (1995)
- DE Jared Tomich (1997-2000)
- DT Kenny Smith (2001-03)
- DT DeMario Pressley (2009)
- DT Turk McBride (2011-12)
- DE Tavaris Barnes (2015)
- DT Nick Fairley (2016)
- DE George Johnson (2017)
- DT Jay Bromley (2018)
- DT Malcom Brown (2019-20)
- DT Montravius Adams (2021)
- DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (2021-22)
- DT Bryan Bresee (2023-current)
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Walter Johnson was the first Saint to put on a number 90 uniform in 1989. He played one season for the team, mostly suiting up on special teams for 15 games. James Williams was the first New Orleans draft choice to wear No. 90, coming to the team as a sixth-round pick in 1990. Williams was with the Saints for five seasons and 78 games, the longest of any player to wear the 90 jersey. During his time in New Orleans, Williams had 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles in mostly backup duty behind Dome Patrol stars Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson.
Defensive tackle Israel Stanley wore No. 90 for only one season in 1995, but made a moderate impact with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. After Stanley, the Saints used a second-round pick on Jared Tomich in the 1997 NFL Draft. Tomich is the second-highest drafted player by the Saints to wear No. 90, with his 55 games the second longest tenure of anyone to wear the jersey. Over his time with New Orleans, Tomich had 10 sacks and forced 5 fumbles.
[IMG alt="San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens (81) is tackled after a 19-yard catch by New Orleans Saints linebacker Ron Warner (C) and defensive end Jared Tomich (top) during the second quarter at 3COM Park, November 22.
CBM/RC"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/new_orle...es_211/671aaf3211a81b23f3700c19c14d5dee[/IMG]
Kenny Smith followed Tomich in the 90 jersey and came to the Saints as a third-round choice in the 2001 NFL Draft. Smith was with the team for three seasons and 30 games, making a minimal impact with 4.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. After Smith, nine players wore the No. 90 in New Orleans over the next 20 years. Only three of those wore it for more than one year, with none doing so for more than two seasons. Four of the nine were in uniform for fewer than 10 games.
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One of those one-year players was Nick Fairley, a mammoth defensive tackle that did make an impact during his short stay. In 2016, Fairley had 6.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. The former 13th overall draft choice with the Detroit Lions played the best ball of his career with the Saints. Unfortunately, a heart condition found during the 2017 offseason prematurely ended his career.
Another first-round choice with another team that found success with the Saints was Malcom Brown, signed as a free agent in 2019 from the Patriots. For two seasons in New Orleans, Brown was the team's top interior run defender. He'd contribute 3 sacks and recorded 9 tackles for loss before being traded to the Jaguars after the 2020 season.
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After Brown, Tanoh Kpassagnon had the No. 90 jersey for two seasons before switching to 92 for his last two years as a Saint. Wearing 90, Kpassagnon had 6 sacks and was an underrated but versatile defender for the Saints up front.Bryan Bresee is the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear the 90 jersey. If he plays at least seven games in 2026, he'll also be the second longest tenured Saint to wear the jersey. The 29th overall selection in 2023, Bresee has 14.5 sacks, 31 QB hits, and 19 tackles for loss over 49 games. His production dipped a bit in 2025, but Bresee is a vital part of the New Orleans defensive system heading into this season.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Every Saints player to wear No. 90, from Nick Fairley to Bryan Bresee
Continue reading...
