Miami Dolphins Behind the Numbers
So we now know that Tua Tagovailoa will not be wearing number 13 with the Miami Dolphins despite the silly suggestion that Dan Marino's number be un-retired.
Tagovailoa instead will be wearing number 1 and he provided a glimpse of the significance of the number for him on Twitter with a photo with the jersey along with the message "For the Audience of 1" next to a praying emoji.
The intent of "Audience of 1," according to Athletes in Action, is to "help Christian players remember that everywhere in life — even in a stadium full of people — 'we live and move and have our being in Him,' and it’s His pleasure we should pursue above all else."
Four players have worn number 1 for the Dolphins in a regular season game, the last being kicker Cody Parkey in 2017. The others were kicker Garo Yepremian (1970-78), kicker Tony Franklin (1988) and punter Matt Turk (2000-01).
Unlike Tagovailoa, fellow first-round pick Austin Jackson was able to keep the number he wore at USC, 73.
The third first-round pick, Noah Igbinoghene, didn't have the option of keeping his college number because numbers between 1-10 in the NFL are reserved for kickers, punters and quarterbacks.
So Igbinoghene ended up with 46, which hasn't been worn by a Dolphins defensive back since 1981 when Don Bessilieu had it.
Among veteran acquisitions, Byron Jones became the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL when he signed with the Dolphins, but the move will come with a number switch.
After wearing 31 for the Dallas Cowboys, Jones now will be wearing 24. The number 31 with the Dolphins already belonged to second-year cornerback Ken Webster, but it should be noted that Jones' Twitter handle is @byron31jump and Webster wore 5 and 15 at Ole Miss, so maybe a future jersey trade could happen here.
Cornerback Ryan Lewis wore 24 for the Dolphins last season, but now will switch to 29. Lewis has wore three different numbers (24, 37, 38) with four different teams in two NFL seasons after wearing 38 at the University of Pittsburgh.
New running back Jordan Howard has worn 24 for his entire NFL career, which has included stints with the Bears and Eagles, but was assigned number 34. It was the number Ricky Williams wore for the Dolphins from 2004-10.
Like Jones, Howard has his longtime jersey number as part of his Twitter handle, though he seemed to embrace the change.
Offensive lineman Ereck Flowers ended up with 75, though there was no clear attachment to any number. Flowers has played in the NFL five years and has worn four numbers — 74 and 76 with the New York Giants, 75 with Jacksonville, and 77 with Washington.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy, meanwhile, was able to keep the 53 he wore with New England and Detroit, though it should be noted that in his first NFL season with the Lions in 2014 he wore number 95.
Safety Clayton Fejedelem kept the number 42 he wore during his four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, but that came with running back Patrick "The Intern" Laird switching from 42 to 32. Laird wore 38 at the University of California.
Running back Matt Breida, acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, was given the number 20 worn by safety Reshad Jones the past nine seasons. Breida wore 22 with the 49ers, but cornerback Tae Hayes has that number in Miami.
One last note regarding the Dolphins and their numbers: The numbers 54 and 99 remain unassigned. Nobody has worn them since Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor ended their brilliant Dolphins careers in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
