Number 19 and the three Miami Dolphins who wore it best

The countdown to the start of the 2024 regular season has now begun, and we’re less than 100 days away, so we’ll be honoring the best players to wear the Dolphins number each day.

Today we are at number 19.

The top players in each number so far have been DE Jason Taylor at 99, DT Jared Odrick at 98, DE Phillip Merling at 97, DT Paul Soliai at 96, DT Tim Bowens at 95, DT Randy Starks at 94, DE Trace Armstrong at 94. 93, LS John Denney at 92, DE Cameron Wake at 91, DE/OLB Marco Coleman at 90, WR Nat Moore at 89, TE Keith Jackson at 88, TE Andre Tillman at 87, WR Oronde Gadsden at 86, LB Nick Buoniconti at 86 85, DE Bill Stanfill at 84, WR Mark Clayton at 83, WR Brian Hartline at 82, WR OJ McDuffie at 81, WR Irving Fryar at 80, T Jon Giesler at 79, T Richmond Webb at 78, LB AJ Duhe at 77, T Branden Albert at 76, DT Manny Fernandez at 75, T Mark Dennis at 74, NT Bob Baumhower at 73, T Terron Armstead at 72, T Todd Wade at 71, DE Kendall Langford at 70, G Keith Sims at 69, G Robert Hunt at 68, G Bob Kuechenberg at 67, G Larry Little at 66, OL Jeff Dellenbach at 65, G Ed Newman at 64, G Mark Dixon at 63, C Jim Langer at 62, C Tim Ruddy at 61, G Bert Weidner at 61 60, LB Doug Swift at 59, LB Kim Bokamper at 58, C Dwight Stephenson at 57, LB John Offerdahl at 56, LB Earnest Rhone at 55, LB Zach Thomas at 54, LB Bob Matheson at 53, LB Channing Crowder at 52, LB Bryan Cox at 51, LB Larry Gordon at 50, CB William Judson at 49, CB Gerald Small at 48, S Glenn Blackwood at 47, S Don Bessilieu at 46, CB Curtis Johnson at 45, CB Paul Lankford at 44, LB Andrew Van Ginkel at 43, WR Paul Warfield at 42, FB. Keith Byars at 41, S Dick Anderson at 40, FB Larry Csonka at 39, CB Calvin Jackson at 38, CB JB Brown at 37, FB Don Nottingham at 36, DB Walt Aikens at 35, RB Ricky Williams at 34, RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar at 33, RB Kenyan Drake at 32 and S Brock Marion at 31, RB Ron Davenport at 30, CB Sam Madison at 29, CB Don McNeal at 28, CB Terrell Buckley at 27, S Jarvis Williams at 26 , CB Xavien Howard at 25, RB Delvin Williams at 24, CB Patrick Surtain at 23, RB Tony Nathan at 22, RB Jim Kiick at 21 and S Reshad Jones at 20.

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

DB Reyna Thompson (1986), QB Scott Mitchell (1990-93), QB Bernie Kosar (1994-96), WR Nate Jacquet (1998), WR Larry Shannon (1998-99), WR Ted Ginn Jr. (2007-09 ) ), WR Brandon Marshall (2010-11), WR Legedu Naanee (2012), WR Armon Binns (2012-13), WR Jakeem Grant (2016-21), QB Skylar Thompson (2022)

As we enter the teens, the total number of players for each number will be lower, and so it is with 19. There were a few contributors, though. Scott Mitchell was a fourth-round pick in 1990 who had to see action in 1993 after Dan Marino tore his Achilles tendon in an October game in Cleveland. While his final numbers that year weren’t anything special (3-4 record, 12 TDs, 8 INTs), it was enough to earn him a big contract from the Detroit Lions. He ended up playing 11 seasons with the Dolphins and had a big year with the Lions in 1995 when he had 32 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. The selection of Ginn with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft drew a lot of laughs, especially because of Cam Cameron’s “Ginn Family” speech, but the fact remains that Ginn is still in the NFL 13 years later. Ginn started 35 games for Miami and averaged 43 catches on the season, not to mention his three catches for touchdowns, including two in a memorable 2009 game against the Jets. Brandon Marshall was extremely productive, albeit highly controversial, during his two-year stint with the Dolphins. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in both 2010 and 2011 and made the Pro Bowl his second year when he had 1,214 yards and six touchdowns. But his production didn’t stop the Dolphins from trading him for two third-round picks two years after acquiring him for two second-round picks. Jakeem Grant was a big-play player after joining the Dolphins as a sixth-round pick in 2016, with three punt returns and two punt returns for touchdowns. His time in Miami ended in 2021 when he was traded to the Chicago Bears and Grant’s comeback attempt this year after spending the past two seasons on IR hit a snag when the Atlanta Falcons placed him on injured reserve this week. Former University of Miami legend Bernie Kosar ended his 12-year NFL career with three seasons with the Dolphins, though he played in just 14 games with two starts. He lost them both. Skylar Thompson’s game participation is only listed as 2022 because he did not play a handicap last season.

1. WR-KR Ted Ginn Jr.

2. WR Brandon Marshall

3. WR-KR Jakeem Grant

Johnny Unitas and Lance Alworth are the only two Hall of Famers to wear 19 and stand head and shoulders above anyone else at that number. With his long and successful career with the Cleveland Browns, Kosar ranks fourth in Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value for 19 years, and it may surprise many Dolphins fans that Ginn was sixth, the result of his 14-year career that included five other teams after leaving Miami.