NFL Uniforms: One change every team should make
By Zach Cohen
AFC North uniform changes
Cincinnati Bengals: Redo Number Outlines
The Bengals have divisive uniforms, though you can count me as a supporter. It’s a sleek, modernized look, so why do the numbers look like bubble letters? The block outline of the numbers looks too childish and it makes the whole uniform appear inconsistent. They remind me of those tests at the eye doctor where they give you glasses and make you pick the images that “pop off the screen.”
I’d suggest either trimming and centralizing the outline of the numbers or just going with a simpler font.
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1250454417125638146?s=20
Cleveland Browns: Reverse Pants Stripe Color
Brown and orange is a difficult color combination to work with, yet the Browns did alright when they revealed their new look a few weeks ago. Although they’re extremely similar to other past uniforms, there aren’t many improvements to make.
One tiny detail that could be altered is the order of the colors on the white pants’ stripe. Brown-orange-brown — instead of orange-brown-orange — would be more consistent with the team’s stripes on their other uniforms, where brown is the outer color for stripes.
Baltimore Ravens: Get Rid of Block Shadow
This is similar to what I said about the Bengals. The block shadow behind the numbers looks too cartoonish. If anything, it’s a fine detail for a uniform in the 2000s, but it should be adjusted for this decade. A reasonable tweak could be changing the shadow to a second outline. It’d be a simpler, more modern look.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Adjust the Numbers
The Steelers have a hard, rigid look. Their brand is supposed to epitomize the toughness of the city and the franchise’s players. Slanting numbers often characterize the opposite of hard; they’re normally a fun, extra detail added to more modern, more loose designs. It just doesn’t match the team’s brand, even though it’s more visible on the back of the jerseys.
Simply un-slanting them would do volumes for the uniform, or they could revert to a more traditional number font like the ones on the throwbacks.