Number 28 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 28 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
Publish date:
Aug 11, 2022 8:12 AM EDT

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 28.

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

Players who wore 28 for at least one regular season game:

RB-P George Cheeser (1966), RB Abner Haynes (1967), WR Gene Milton (1968-69), RB Ed Jenkins (1972), RB Hubert Ginn (1975), CB Don McNeal (1980-89), CB Michael McGruder (1990-91), CB Frankie Smith (1993), S Gene Atkins (1994-96), DB Ray Hill (1998-2000), RB Travis Minor (2002-06), RB Jesse Chatman (2007), DB Brannon Condren (2008), S Gibril Wilson (2009), CB Nolan Carroll (2010-13), RB Knowshon Moreno (2014), DB Bobby McCain (2015-20), RB Duke Johnson (2021)

The breakdown of 28 with the Dolphins

This is another number where the Dolphins have not had a Pro Bowl representative. Cornerback Don McNeal would seem like the logical top choice here, though it's not quite that clear-cut. McNeal started 44 games his first four seasons after being a first-round pick in 1980, but he started only four games his final five seasons. McNeal did have 12 interceptions in his four years as a starter. Gene Atkins arrived in 1994 after starting five seasons for New Orleans and he started 31 games in two-plus seasons for Miami. Atkins, the father of Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins, had three interceptions in 1994 but was released after five games in 1996. After wearing 34 as a rookie in 2001, Travis Minor played 75 games with four starts donning number 28. His only starts came in 2004 when he started four games and finished with a career-high 388 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Nolan Carroll played the first four seasons of his eight-year career with the Dolphins and started 26 of 58 games. He had five interceptions, including three in 2013. Bobby McCain ended up being one of the better late-round picks the Dolphins have made in a while. He started 55 games for the Dolphins in seven seasons before moving to Washington in 2021.

Worth noting:

Haynes played 11 games with three starts for the Dolphins in 1967 after arriving from Denver in a seven-player trade. ... Jenkins played three games during the 1972 perfect season but did not record any statistics. ... Hubert Ginn played parts of six seasons for the Dolphins but wore 28 only in 1975 when he was a backup for 11 games. ... Chatman was second in rushing yards on the Dolphins behind Ronnie Brown in 2007 with 515. ... Wilson signed a five-year contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2009, but was waived after only one season, during which he played all 16 games with 14 starts. ... Moreno lasted only three games with the Dolphins in 2014 before a knee injury ended his career, but he did have a memorable 134-yard rushing performance in a season-opening victory against the New England Patriots.