Jason Taylor can dance, but he apparently couldn’t talk Andre Carter out of No. 99. So rather than have a dance-off for the right to No. 99, the six-time Pro Bowl defensive end, acquired on Sunday from Miami, will be wearing No. 55 for the Redskins. To get around the rule that prevents D-linemen from wearing numbers in the 50s, Taylor is listed as an LB/DE. But don’t expect to see Taylor in any positional meetings with London Fletcher and Marcus Washington anytime soon.
Maybe No. 55 is a bad choice since the last major Redskins newomer given the number was linebacker Mike Barrow, an ironman before he arrived in Washington but who hurt a knee before camp in 2004 and never got on the field here.
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The last man to wear 55 in a regular season game for the Redskins is the late Kevin Mitchell, who did so from 2000-03. Of course the most famous No. 55 in team history is nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Chris Hanburger. Somewhere, the ornery Hanburger is probably not happy that his number will be worn by someone else, but he has to be happy that it was given to a star instead of fringe backer Rian Wallace, who was switched to No. 57.
— David Elfin and Corey Masisak
