Number 24 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

1,000-yard rusher the best of a forgettable group

Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones (24) takes on the field prior the game against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021. / Sam Navarro-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 24.

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, and CB Xavien Howard at 25.

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 24 for at least one regular season game:

KR Billy Hunter (1966), Jack Clancy (1967-69), RB Delvin Williams (1978-80), S Reyna Thompson (1986-88), RB Floyd Raglin (1987), CB Rodney Thomas (1989-90), CB Vestee Jackson (1991-93), DB Pat Johnson (1995), CB Jerry Wilson (1996-2000), CB Jamar Fletcher (2001), CB Omare Lowe (2002), S Sammy Knight (2003-04), S Tebucky Jones (2005), S Renaldo Hill (2006-08), CB Sean Smith (2009-12), CB Dimitri Patterson (2013), S Cortland Finnegan (2014), CB Brice McCain (2015), S Isa Abdul-Quddus (2016), CB Torry McTyer (2018), S Johnson Bademosi (2019), CB Ryan Lewis (2019), CB Byron Jones (2020-21), CB Cam Smith (2023)

The breakdown of 24 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins didn't have many players with lengthy stays in Miami wearing 24, so it's not easy to come up with a top three. WR Jack Clancy made an immediate impact with the Dolphins, setting an AFL record with 67 catches in 1967 and getting selected to the AFL All-Star Game. Clancy, however, missed all of 1968 with a knee injury and wasn't quite as productive in 1969 before he was traded to the Green Bay Packers. Delvin Williams arrived in Miami in 1978 after rushing for 1,203 and 931 for the 49ers the previous two season and the Dolphins gave up first- and fifth-round picks and two players in a trade. Williams responded by setting a franchise record with 1,258 yards his first season with the Dolphins, but his yardage fell to 703 and 671 yards the next two years before he was waived in August 1981. Williams' first season alone, which earned him All-Pro honors, was enough to give him the top spot for number 24. Cornerback Vestee Jackson was acquired from the Bears in 1991 in a trade for former Dolphins first-round pick Eric Kumerow and started 26 games in three seasons. His best year in Miami came in 1992 when he had three interceptions, including a pick-six, despite playing only 11 games with five starts. Jerry Wilson started only two of 66 games during his five seasons in Miami, but he was a solid third cornerback behind the Pro Bowl duo of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. He went on to start all 16 games at safety for the San Diego Chargers in both 2003 and 2004. Safety Sammy Knight played only two seasons in Miami, but was very productive. He started all 16 games in both 2003 and 2004, and had a total of seven interceptions, four forced fumbles and 198 tackles. Renaldo Hill started 38 of 39 games and had six interceptions after arriving as an unrestricted free agent. Sean Smith was selected in the second round of the 2009 draft after the Dolphins had taken fellow cornerback Vontae Davis in the first. Smith started 56 of his 63 games with the Dolphins before he left to join Kansas City as a free agent in 2013. Byron Jones was a good cornerback for the Dolphins for two seasons, but his career ended because of a foot injury. Fletcher wore 24 as a rookie before switching to 21 for the final two years of his highly disappointed Dolphins tenure, made even worse by the fact Miami selected him as their 2001 first-round pick instead of Drew Brees.

The top three Dolphins players with number 24

1. RB Delvin Williams

2. CB Sean Smith

3. CB Byron Jones

Dolphins 24's among the NFL's all-time best

Williams had another 1,200-yard season before joining the Dolphins, which might put him somewhere close to the top 20 among 24's, but he can't clome close to Hall of Famers on the list such as Champ Bailey, Willie Brown, Willie Wood, Darrelle Revis or Charles Woodson.