There's always some awkwardness when a team hasn't reissued the jersey number of a former star.
For the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford had 12 good years as their quarterback. He probably didn't do enough to get his number retired permanently (though some Lions fans would argue otherwise), but it also would have seemed a bit wrong to reissue his No. 9 right after he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams last year.
Lions first-round pick Jameson Williams, a receiver from Alabama, cut the tension by asking Stafford himself.
Williams had been wearing No. 18 but wanted to make a switch before the preseason started.