77 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 77 jersey

Just 77 days separate us from now until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Saints will play at the Detroit Lions to kick off their 2026 regular season. Offensive lineman Dillon Radunz currently wears No. 77 as New Orleans awaits the start of training camp in just a month from now.

Radunz joined the team last offseason. Injuries along the offensive line necessitated a larger role for him than envisioned. He’ll enter his sixth NFL season fighting for a spot at a position that saw a few offseason additions. Radunz is the 21st player who has worn 77 in New Orleans. Here’s a look through all of them.

Saints History of No. 77

G/T Carl Johnson (1972-73)
OT Marv Montgomery (1976-77)
OT Darren Gilbert (1985-88)
OT Willie Roaf (1993-2001)
DT Rodney Leisle (2005-06)
DT Broderick Bunkley (2012-14)
OG James Carpenter (2021)
OG Dillon Radunz (2025-current)

Ray Rissmiller first wore a 77 uniform for the Saints, playing in 11 games during the team’s inaugural 1967 campaign. Jim Boeke and Mike Taylor each wore the jersey over the next three seasons for a combined 25 games. Dan Goich was the first of four New Orleans defensive players to wear 77, but also did so for only one year.

Carl Johnson was the first New Orleans draft pick to wear the 77 jersey. A fifth-round choice in the 1972 NFL Draft, Johnson was with the Saints for 28 games over two years. Chris Morris, Marv Montgomery, and Gary Anderson each took their turns in 77 on the offensive line over the next four years, with none lasting as many as two full seasons. Jerry Boyarski put together a solid nine-year NFL career that began with him being a fifth-round pick by New Orleans in the 1981 NFL Draft. Boyarski spent just one of those nine NFL seasons with the Saints, playing 11 games at nose tackle with 1 sack in 1981.

Daren Gilbert is the second highest Saints draft choice to wear 77. A second-round choice in the 1985 NFL Draft, Gilbert was the first player in franchise history to wear 77 for more than two seasons among the ten that did it to that point. His 42 games on the offensive line are the third most of any New Orleans player who’s worn 77.

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 25: Tackle Willie Roaf #77 of the New Orleans Saints on the field during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on September 25, 1994 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 24-13. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) — SAN FRANCISCO – SEPTEMBER 25: Tackle Willie Roaf #77 of the New Orleans Saints on the field during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on September 25, 1994 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 24-13. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Five years after Gilbert’s departure, Willie Roaf filled the 77 uniform out better than anyone else in New Orleans history and perhaps NFL history. Roaf arrived as the eighth choice in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, making him the highest drafted Saints player to wear the uniform. His 131 games are also the longest of any Saint to wear it. Those are the least of Roaf’s many honors. Considered one of the best offensive tackles to ever play the game, Roaf made seven Pro Bowls as a Saint and was on the NFL All-Decade Team of both the 1990s and 2000s. Willie Roaf was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2008, is in the Saints Ring of Honor, and in 2012 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rodney Leisle wore three different numbers during a four-year tenure in New Orleans. One of those was 77, worn for 14 games between 2005 and 2006. Leisle was one of the 17 New Orleans players out of the 21 that wore 77 do do so for just two seasons or less.

Sept 14, 2008; Landover, MD, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Peyton talks to offensive tackle Jammal Brown (70) and offensive lineman Carl Nicks (77) during the second half against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Washington won 29-24. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

If not for Willie Roaf, Carl Nicks would be the most accomplished No. 77 in franchise history. Nicks joined the Saints as a fifth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He immediately took the job at left guard, holding it at a high level for four years. Nicks played 64 games in New Orleans, second only to Roaf for the most to wear 77. He made two Pro Bowls and was one of the key members of a dominant offensive line on the Super Bowl XLIV championship team.Since Nicks, eight players have worn No. 77 for the Saints in the last 14 years. Only Broderick Bunkley wore the uniform for more than one season, suiting up in 38 games over three seasons with 2.5 sacks and stout run defense. McGlynn, Fullington, Newton, Carpenter, Erving, and Herron over the last 11 years managed only 18 games with the Saints between them.

Dillon Radunz has a chance to be the first since Bunkley over a decade ago to hold onto the 77 uniform into a second season. Injuries forced Radunz into 10 starts and 15 games in 2025. While a steady veteran who can play multiple spots, Radunz will face some heavy competition this training camp along the interior offensive line.