Number 3 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

More misses than hits at number 3, so who stands out?

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Robbie Chosen (3) warms up before a game against the Denver Broncos at Hard Rock Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-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 3.

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, and P Reggie Roby at 4.

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 3 for at least one regular season game:

P Tom Orosz (1981-82), P Stacy Gore (1987), K Van Tiffin (1987), P Mark Royals (2002-03), QB Joey Harrington (2006), K Jay Feely (2007), K Andrew Franks (2015-16), QB Josh Rosen (2019), WR Will Fuller V (2021), RB Myles Gaskin (2022), WR Robbie Chosen (2023)

The breakdown of 3 with the Dolphins

A lot more options at number 3 than 4, but no clear-cut standout here.

• Tom Orosz punted every game for the Dolphins in 1981 and 1982, but his averages were pedestrian: 40.8 and 38.7.

• Stacy Gore was the punter for the Dolphins in the strike-replacement games of 1987 and in those three games he averaged only 35.9 yards per punt.

• Van Tiffin kicked for one game for the Dolphins in 1987 and missed his only field goal attempt, though he was 4-for-4 on extra points.

• Mark Royals punted for six teams before he joined the Dolphins in 2002 and he averaged 40.9 yards in his first season. The Dolphins let him go after three games in 2003 when he was averaging 40.2 yards.

• Joey Harrington joined the Dolphins four years after he was the third overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he started 11 games for Miami in 2006 after Daunte Culpepper was placed on IR. Harrington threw more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (12) and had a passer rating of 68.2.

• Jay Feely had played six NFL seasons before he joined the Dolphins in 2007 and had the most accurate season of his 14-year career when he made a team-record 91.3 percent of his field goal attempts (21-of-23). He didn't last long in Miami, though, because the Dolphins decided to go with rookie free agent Dan Carpenter the following season.

• Andrew Franks was 29-for-37 on field goal attempts in his two seasons in Miami, but he deserves major kudos for his game-tying 55-yard field goal in Week 16 of the 2016 season. That kick helped the Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime, a victory that ultimately gave them a spot in the playoffs.

• Josh Rosen ended up having only one forgettable season in Miami after arriving from Arizona as a former top 10 pick. Rosen's final numbers last year included one touchdown pass and five interceptions.

• Will Fuller V was a high-profile free agent pick-up last offseason, but he ended up playing only two games for the Dolphins.

• Myles Gaskin wore 3 after leading the team in rushing in 2020 and 2021 wearing number 37, but he no longer had a role with the team by then.

• Robbie Chosen had four catches in nine games after joining the Dolphins last season, though he did have a highlight 68-yard touchdown against Denver in Week 3.

The top three Dolphins players with number 3

1. K Andrew Franks

2. K Jay Feely

3. P Tom Orosz

Dolphins 3's among the NFL's all-time best

No Dolphins player would rank in the top 20 here. Bronko Nagurski is the most famous of the three Hall of Famers who wore predominantly this number. New Steelers QB Russell Wilson is the most accomplished of the active players wearing 3.