Number 2 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Brandon Fields and Bradley Chubb stand out, though we can't forget about "Mountaineer Shot" hero

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) passes the ball as Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) chases during the second quarter at FedExField last season. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The countdown to the start of the 2024 regular season is almost over as we continue to honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 2.

The top players at 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 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 85, DE Bill Stanfill at 84, WR Mark Clayton at 83, WR Brian Hartline at 82, WR O.J. McDuffie at 81, WR Irving Fryar at 80, T Jon Giesler at 79, T Richmond Webb at 78, LB A.J. 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 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 J.B. 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, S Reshad Jones at 20, WR/KR Ted Ginn Jr., WR Rishard Matthews at 18, WR Jaylen Waddle at 17, QB David Woodley at 16, WR Davone Bess at 15, and WR Jarvis Landry at 14, QB Dan Marino at 13, QB Bob Griese at 12, QB/RB/TE Jim Jensen at 11, WR Tyreek Hill at 10, QB Jay Fiedler at 9, S Jevon Holland at 8, K Jason Sanders at 7, LB Melvin Ingram at 6, K Dan Carpenter at 5, P Reggie Roby at 4, and K Andrew Franks at 3.

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 2 for at least one regular season game:

RB Cookie Gilchrist (1966), Willie Beecher (1987), P Brandon Fields (2008-14), P Matt Haack (2018-20), WR Albert Wilson (2021), RB Chase Edmonds (2022), LB Bradley Chubb (2022-23)

The breakdown of 2 with the Dolphins

• Cookie Gilchrist was a four-time AFL All-Star when the Dolphins got him in a trade in 1966 and he rushed for 262 yards in eight games. Miami then made him part of a multi-player deal with the Denver Broncos the following year.

• Willie Beecher was the Dolphins kicker during the strike-replacement games of 1987 and in those three games he made 3 of 4 field goal attempts, with a long of 40 yards, and was 12-for-12 on extra points.

• After switching from 4 to 2 after his rookie season, Brandon Fields made himself arguably the best punter in team history. Fields led the NFL with a 50.2-yard average in 2012 and sandwiched that with a pair of seasons with a 48.8-yard mark. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013.

• Matt Haack was steady after joining the Dolphins as a rookie free agent in 2017, averaging between 44.5 and 45.0 yards in his four seasons and he was part of the famous "Mountaineer Shot" play of 2019 when he threw a touchdown pass to kicker Jason Sanders after taking a snap in shotgun formation off a field goal attempt. But the Dolphins let him leave via free agency during the 2021 offseason.

• Wilson switched to 2 in 2021, but the number didn't bring him much luck, as he finished with 25 catches and a meager 8.5-yard average.

• Chase Edmonds didn't have much success after being signed as a free agent in 2022 and he was part of the trade with the Denver Broncos that brought Bradley Chubb, who took over his number 2. Chubb made the Pro Bowl in 2022 despite not making a big impact in the second half of the season after arriving, but he had a Pro Bowl-caliber performance last season before his ACL injury late in the Baltimore loss in Week 17.

The top three Dolphins players with number 2

1. P Brandon Fields

2. OLB Bradley Chubb

3. P Matt Haack

Dolphins 2's among the NFL's all-time best

Charley Trippi of 1940-50s fame is the only Hall of Fame who wore mostly 2, though he might (or might not) be joined down the line by Matt Ryan. The best active player with this number has to be Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the son of the former Dolphins DB. Fields is tied for 16th on Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value rankings of post-1960s players who wore 2.