Julius Thomas — Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports

Number 89 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 89 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:
Jun 11, 2022 8:00 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 89.

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 89 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

WR Karl Noonan (1966-71), WR Nat Moore (1974-86), WR Leland Douglas (1987), WR Tony Martin (1990-93), WR Randal Hill (1995-96), TE/LS Ed Perry (1997-2004), TE Alex Holmes (2005), TE Tim Massaquoi (2006), TE Sean Ryan (2008), TE Will Yeatman (2011), TE Julius Thomas (2017), WR Trevor Davis (2019)

The breakdown of 89 with the Dolphins

As our countdown moves into the 80s, we have turned from linebackers and defensive linemen to wide receivers and tight ends. As was the case with a few numbers in the 90s, there isn't much debate here considering Nat Moore's longevity and his ranking among the most productive receivers in franchise history. Karl Noonan started 40 games during the first six seasons of the franchise and was selected to the AFL All-Star in 1968 when he had 11 touchdown catches. Ed Perry deserves mention as the Dolphins' long-snapper for eight seasons before John Denney took over for the next 14 years. Tony Martin had two stints with the Dolphins, and his first wearing 89 saw him contribute as a deep threat role in a complementary role.

Worth noting

Like Martin, Randal Hill had two stints with the Dolphins. He wore 81 for his first stint, but it lasted only one game in 1991 because he was traded as a rookie first-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick the following year. ... Will Yeatman played parts of three different seasons for the Dolphins, but only one came at tight end. ... The statistical contribution of the four tight ends who wore 89 from 2005-11 was exactly one catch, by Alex Holmes in 2005. ... Julius Thomas had 41 catches in his one season for the Dolphins, but did not make the impact the team had hoped.