Number 81 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Current tight end Durham Smythe is among the top players with this number, but does he make the top three?

Tight end Durham Smythe against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium last season. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The countdown to the start of the 2024 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 81.

The top players at each number so far have been Jason Taylor at 99, Jared Odrick at 98, Phillip Merling at 97, Paul Soliai at 96, Tim Bowens at 95, Randy Starks at 94,  Trace Armstrong at 93, John Denney at 92, Cameron Wake at 91, Marco Coleman at 90,  Nat Moore at 89, Keith Jackson at 88, Andre Tillman at 87, Oronde Gadsden at 86, Nick Buoniconti at 85, Bill Stanfill at 84, Mark Clayton at 83, and Brian Hartline at 82.

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.

Players who wore 81 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

WR Howard Twilley (1966-76), WR Jimmy Cefalo (1976-84), WR Frank Lockett (1985), WR Scott Schwedes (1987-90), WR Mike Caterbone (1987), WR James Pruitt (1991), WR Randal Hill (1991), WR Robert Clark (1992), WR O.J. McDuffie (1993-2000), TE Randy McMichael (2002-06), TE Joey Haynos (2008-09), TE Dedrick Epps (2010), TE Dante Rosario (2011), TE Durham Smythe (2018-23)

The debate on the best 81 on the Dolphins

There's been a lot more continuity with number 81 than just about any previous number we've examined so far, with five players wearing it for at least five seasons. That list begins with Howard Twilley, who started 82 games over 11 seasons with the Dolphins and scored the first Super Bowl touchdown in franchise history. He was followed by Jimmy Cefalo, who was a full-time starter in the 1982 Super Bowl season and capped it off by scoring a touchdown in the big game also. O.J. McDuffie led the NFL in receptions with a team-record (since broken) 90 catches in 1998, averaged 80 catches over a three-year span and had two punt returns for touchdowns as a rookie first-round pick in 1993. Then there was Randy McMichael, who started every game his four years in Miami, led the team in receptions in 2004 and is the franchise's all-time leader among tight ends for receptions and receiving yards. The most recent player to fit this category is Durham Smythe, who has been a solid two-way tight end for the Dolphins and now is the longest-tenured player on the roster along with kicker Jason Sanders.

The top three Dolphins players with number 81

1. WR O.J. McDuffie

2. TE Randy McMichael

3. WR Howard Twilley

Dolphins 81's among the NFL's all-time best

There are eight Hall of Famers who wore mostly 81 during their NFL career, including Calvin Johnson, Carl Eller and Terrell Owens, and several other all-time greats like Anquan Boldin. The Dolphins don't have a player here who probably would rank in the top 20.