Number 25 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Xavien Howard and 1970s starter Tim Foley battle for top honors

Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) makes a one handed catch to intercept a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium in 2020. / Jasen Vinlove-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 25.

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, and S Jarvis Williams at 26.

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 25 for at least one regular season game:

CB Dick Westmoreland (1966-69), DB Tim Foley (1970-80), DB Mike Smith (1985-87), S Louis Oliver (1989-93, 1995), DB Corey Harris (1995), CB Greg Jeffries (1999-2000), CB Jimmy Wyrick (2003), CB Reggie Howard (2004-05), CB Will Allen (2006-11), DB Jimmy Wilson (2011), CB R.J. Stanford (2012-13), S Louis Delmas (2014-15), CB Xavien Howard (2016-23)

The breakdown of 25 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins have had considerably fewer players wear 25 than other numbers in the 20s, but that's an indication they have had several contributors with that number. Dick Westmoreland arrived via the expansion draft and had four picks in the Dolphins' first season before leading the AFL with 10 picks in 1967 when he was selected as an All-Star. He ended up starting 43 games in four seasons. Tim Foley was a third-round pick in 1970 who started 110 games at cornerback and safety. He was a starting cornerback for the Dolphins' two Super Bowl-winning teams and made the Pro Bowl as a safety in 1979. Louis Oliver started 89 games for the Dolphins in two stints after arriving as a first-round pick in 1989. He had four or five interceptions in each of his first four seasons, including 1992 when he had a 103-yard pick-six at Buffalo. Will Allen started 47 games in his first three seasons in Miami after arriving as a free agent before starting six games each of the final two years. He had three picks in 2008, including one he returned for a touchdown. Howard started 99 games after arriving as a second-round pick out of Baylor in 2016, made the Pro Bowl four times and was a top five NFL cornerback at his peak, though injuries slowed him before the Dolphins released him this offseason.

The top three Dolphins players with number 25

1. CB Xavien Howard

2. DB Tim Foley

3. S Louis Oliver

Dolphins 25's among the NFL's all-time best

Fred Biletnikoff is the only modern-era player who wore 25 who's in the Hall of Fame, and a strong case could be made here for both Howard and Foley to deserve top 10 status on the list. Other notable 25's included CB Richard Sherman and Jamaal Charles, and old-school Hall of Famers Frank Kinard and Tommy McDonald.