The Cleveland Browns will debut a new all-white uniform combination against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 2 matchup on Monday Night Football, the team announced earlier this summer.
The combinations depict a new white helmet with an orange stripe down the middle. They will be paired with the team’s already existing throwback uniforms that they wore as an alternate uniform in 2021. While the Steelers game will be the first time they will be worn, they will also wear them two other times in Week 6 against the 49ers and Week 17 against the Jets.
The all-white look has not been worn in Cleveland since 1946, making this an officially new throwback uniform that encapsulates an older era of Browns football. In addition to that, the theme for the games will be whiteouts, which could offer a unique crowd experience that does not exist elsewhere in the NFL. Penn State is one of the teams that does a notorious whiteout at the collegiate level.
The Steelers themselves have a few throwback uniforms, including the old block letters uniform that they wore between 1969 and 1996. It does not have the team’s logo on the chest but has been rated one of the best throwback uniforms in the NFL, notching 4th overall on CBS Sports’ list earlier this week.
Looks like the Browns one and the Steelers one was only allowed to return because the NFL has now permitted teams to have two helmet shells to wear over the course of a season. The previous restriction to one was based on ensuring the maximum availability of helmets for player safety. As such, it has opened up new doors for uniform fashion across the NFL with unique looks such as the Browns’ white uniforms.
The Steelers, on the other hand, have worn only black helmets since 1962. They wore gold before that, notably in the 1940s and 50s in a look the team has reprised as another throwback uniform in the repertoire.