Number 23 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Troy Vincent and Patrick Surtain lead the way at what has been a very productive number for the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins defensive back Troy Vincent (23) in action against the Cincinnati Bengals at Riverfront Stadium in 1995. / RVR Photos-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 23.

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, and RB Delvin Williams at 24.

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 23 for at least one regular season game:

WR Wes Matthews (1966), Charles Leigh (1972-74), RB Joe Carter (1984-86), RB Troy Stradford (1987-90), DB Demetrious Johnson (1987), CB Troy Vincent (1992-95), CB Robert Bailey (1996), DB George Teague (1997), CB Patrick Surtain (1998-2004), RB Ronnie Brown (2005-10), RB Larry Johnson (2011), RB Steve Slaton (2011), DB Troy Nolan (2012), DB Bryan McCann (2012), RB Mike Gillislee (2013-14), RB Jay Ajayi (2015-17), CB Cordrea Tankersley (2018-19), CB Noah Igbinoghene (2020), RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (2022-23)

The breakdown of 23 with the Dolphins

The number 23 has been very good for the Dolphins, which makes picking out a top three a challenge. Troy Stradford earned NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1987 when he rushed for 619 yards and a touchdown and caught 48 passes, but he wasn't able to match that production his final three seasons before the Kansas City Chiefs signed him as a Plan B free agent in 1991. Troy Vincent had a very good four seasons with the Dolphins after arriving as the seventh overall pick in 1992, coming up with five interceptions in 1994 and 1995, though he didn't make the Pro Bowl in Miami. He left to sign with the Eagles as a free agent in 1996 and went on to earn five Pro Bowl invitations over the final 12 years of his career. Patrick Surtain arrived as a second-round pick in the 1998 draft after the Dolphins traded their first-round pick in 1999 to get him and he more than justified that trade. Surtain started his final 82 games with Miami and made the Pro Bowl in 2002, 2003 and 2004 before he was traded to Kansas City. Ronnie Brown was taken second overall in the 2005 draft and he was a productive running back for the Dolphins, though he didn't quite deliver to the level of his draft status. Brown had one 1,000-yard rushing season in 2006 and was well on his way to a second in 2007 before a knee injury sidelined him after seven games. His best season, though, came in 2008 when he ran the Wildcat to perfection to help the Dolphins win the AFC East title. Brown rushed for 916 yards and 10 touchdowns that season and caught 33 passes on his way to a Pro Bowl invitation. While he had an up-and-down stay in Miami, Jay Ajayi needs to be mentioned for his 2016 performance when he made the Pro Bowl with 1,272 rushing yards and became the fourth player in NFL history with three 200-yard rushing performances in one season. Charlie Leigh was the fourth running back on the Super Bowl teams of the 1970s behind Csonka, Kiick and Morris, along with getting work as a punt and kickoff returner. The Dolphins signed Larry Johnson in 2011, five years after he had rushed for more than 1,700 yards for a second consecutive season. But Johnson was waived after only one game and that was the end of his nine-year NFL career.

The top three Dolphins players with number 23

1. CB Patrick Surtain

2. CB Troy Vincent

3. RB Ronnie Brown

Dolphins 23's among the NFL's all-time best

The Dolphins have all-time recognition here at a number without a single modern-era Hall of Famer. Based on Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value rankings, Vincent and Surtain rank first and second among modern-era players, though 11 of Vincent's 16 NFL seasons came after he left the Dolphins as a free agent. Other notables 23's include longtime cornerback Joe Haden and former Steelers safety Mike Wagner.