Number 17 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 17 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

Author:
Alain Poupart
Updated:
Aug 22, 2022 10:37 AM EDT
Original:
Aug 22, 2022

In this story:

Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 regular season has begun now that we're under 100 days away, so we'll honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 17.

As a reminder about the ground rules, the top three will be determined only by what the players did while wearing that uniform for the Dolphins.

The top players at each number so far have been:

99. DE/LB Jason Taylor; 98. DL Jared Odrick; 97. DT Jordan Phillips; 96. DT Paul Soliai; 95. DT Tim Bowens; 94. DT Randy Starks; 93. DE Trace Armstrong; 92. LS John Denney; 91. DE/LB Cameron Wake; 90. DE/LB Marco Coleman

89. WR Nat Moore; 88. TE Keith Jackson; 87. TE Andre Tillman; 86. WR Oronde Gadsden; 85. LB Nick Buoniconti; 84. DE Bill Stanfill; 83. WR Mark Clayton; 82. WR Brian Hartline; 81. WR O.J. McDuffie; 80. WR Irving Fryar

79. T Jon Giesler; 78. T Richmond Webb; 77. DE/LB A.J. Duhe; 76. T Branden Albert; 75. DT Manny Fernandez; 74. T Mark Dennis; 73. DT Bob Baumhower; 72. DT Bob Heinz; 71. T Todd Wade; 70. DE Kendall Langford

69. G Keith Sims; 68. T Eric Laakso; 67. G/T Bob Kuechenberg; 66. G Larry Little; 65. OL Jeff Dellenbach; 64. G Ed Newman; 63. G/T Mark Dixon; 62. C Jim Langer; 61. C Tim Ruddy; 60. G Bert Weidner

59. LB Doug Swift; 58. DE-LB Kim Bokamper; 57. C Dwight Stephenson; 56. LB John Offerdahl; 55. Earnie Rhone; 54. Zach Thomas; 53. LB Bob Matheson; 52. LB Channing Crowder; 51. LB Bryan Cox; 50. LB Larry Gordon

49. CB William Judson; 48. CB Gerald Small; 47. S Glenn Blackwood; 46. S Don Bessillieu; 45. CB Curtis Johnson; 44. CB Paul Lankford; 43. S Bud Brown; 42. WR Paul Warfield; 41. FB Keith Byars; 40. S Dick Anderson

39. FB Larry Csonka; 38. DB Calvin Jackson; 37. CB J.B. Brown; 36. FB Don Nottingham; 35. DB Walt Aikens; 34. RB Ricky Williams; 33. RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar; 32. RB Kenyan Drake; 31. S Brock Marion; 30. RB Bernie Parmalee

29. CB Sam Madison; 28. CB Don McNeal; 27. CB Terrell Buckley; 26. S Jarvis Williams; 25. CB Xavien Howard; 24. RB Delvin Williams; 23. Patrick Surtain; 22. RB Tony Nathan; 21. RB Jim Kiick; 20. S Reshad Jones

19. WR-KR Ted Ginn Jr.; 18. WR Rishard Matthews

Players who wore 17 for at least one regular season game:

P Mike Michel (1977), QB Ron Jaworski (1987-88), QB Steve DeBerg (1993), P John Kidd (1994-97), WR Todd Doxzon (1998), QB Cleo Lemon (2005-07), WR Brandon London (2008), QB Ryan Tannehill (2012-18), WR Allen Hurns (2019), WR Jaylen Waddle (2021)

The breakdown of 17 with the Dolphins

After having only eight players wear number 18, we've got 10 who played wearing 17, though in this case we have a clear top choice.. Here's a breakdown of the nine players who wore the number:

• Mike Michel was a fifth-round pick in 1977 but he lasted only one season in Miami after averaging 38.2 yards per punt as a rookie.

• Ron Jaworski joined the Dolphins in August of 1987 to serve as Dan Marino's backup, but he ended attempting only 14 passes in 16 games with Miami before he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a Plan B free agent in 1989.

• Steve DeBerg joined the Dolphins in November 1993 as a 39-year-old after Dan Marino and Scott Mitchell both were injured and ended up starting four games that season. The Dolphins were 2-2 in those four games, though DeBerg threw more interceptions (7) than touchdown passes (6).

• Punter John Kidd joined the Dolphins midway through the 1994 season and appeared in 49 games over three-plus seasons. He led the NFL with a 46.3-yard average in 1996.

• Wide receiver Todd Doxzon appeared in nine games in 1998 after being promoted from the practice squad, but his only stats were two rushing attempts for 6 yards, though both produced first downs.

• Cleo Lemon came from San Diego in a trade for fellow QB A.J. Feeley and he was 1-7 as a starter in 13 appearances. His highlight, of course, was throwing a 64-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Camarillo in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens for the Dolphins' only win of the 2007 season.

• Brandon London was claimed off waivers from the Giants and played 14 games as a backup in 2009, though he had only three catches for 30 yards.

• Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the starting quarterback from the time he arrived as a first-round pick in 2012, but he compiled only a 42-46 record in his 88 starts and had a rather pedestrian 87.0 passer rating. Tannehill enjoyed a breakout season in 2019 after being traded to the Tennessee Titans, making his first Pro Bowl after compiling an NFL-high 117.5 passer rating.

• Allen Hurns started seven games of the 14 games he played last season and caught 32 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns before he opted out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Jaylen Waddle set an NFL rookie record with his 104 catches in 2021, though he will lose some style points because of his low per-reception average.