Bengals safety Geno Stone reveals the reasoning behind his first decision with Cincinnati

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated 4/15/24

Of the six new free agents the Cincinnati Bengals have signed this offseason, safety Geno Stone is one of two who will be wearing a new number on his jersey.

Stone wore the #26 jersey for the last four years as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bengals already had a #26 on their roster, safety Jordan Battle, prior to Stone signing with the team.

Stone instead will wear the #22 jersey, but it's not actually a new jersey number for him at all.

In speaking to Pro Football Network's Jay Morrison and other media members, Stone revealed that the #22 was his number growing up playing football. The number had already belonged to Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith when he was drafted in 2020.

#22 became available for the Bengals once cornerback Chidobe Awuzie left in free agency, allowing Stone to wear the number on his torso once more.

New #Bengals safety Geno Stone said he never asked fellow safety Tycen Anderson for No. 26, the number he wore in Baltimore.
He said 22 has been his number since he was a little and was the one he wanted.
Jimmy Smith had it in Baltimore, so Stone had to take 26.
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) April 15, 2024

Stone was also deprived of the number in college. He wore the #9 jersey for the Iowa Hawkeyes for the three years he was on the team. No one is going to wear the #9 jersey for the Bengals as long as Joe Burrow is in town.

According to his MaxPreps page, Stone wore the #2 jersey for New Castle High School, so his days wearing #22 must've come long before he was close to the big stage.

Stone is still 24 years old (he turns 25 later this week) but he's already on his second NFL team with his first big-time contract under his belt. With the Ravens, Stone was only a one-year starter playing alongside Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. Those two weren't going anywhere, so Stone had to look elsewhere to find the role he wanted.

He not only found that in Cincinnati, he'll get to relive his days wearing his number from childhood as well.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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