Number 3 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now three days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 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 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.

The top players at each number so far have been:

99. DE/LB Jason Taylor; 98. DL Jared Odrick; 97. DT Jordan Phillips; 96. DT Paul Soliai; 95. DT Tim Bowens; 94. DT Randy Starks; 93. DE Trace Armstrong; 92. LS John Denney; 91. DE/LB Cameron Wake; 90. DE/LB Marco Coleman

89. WR Nat Moore; 88. TE Keith Jackson; 87. TE Andre Tillman; 86. WR Oronde Gadsden; 85. LB Nick Buoniconti; 84. DE Bill Stanfill; 83. WR Mark Clayton; 82. WR Brian Hartline; 81. WR O.J. McDuffie; 80. WR Irving Fryar

79. T Jon Giesler; 78. T Richmond Webb; 77. DE/LB A.J. Duhe; 76. T Branden Albert; 75. DT Manny Fernandez; 74. T Mark Dennis; 73. DT Bob Baumhower; 72. DT Bob Heinz; 71. T Todd Wade; 70. DE Kendall Langford

69. G Keith Sims; 68. T Eric Laakso; 67. G/T Bob Kuechenberg; 66. G Larry Little; 65. OL Jeff Dellenbach; 64. G Ed Newman; 63. G/T Mark Dixon; 62. C Jim Langer; 61. C Tim Ruddy; 60. G Bert Weidner

59. LB Doug Swift; 58. DE-LB Kim Bokamper; 57. C Dwight Stephenson; 56. LB John Offerdahl; 55. Earnie Rhone; 54. Zach Thomas; 53. LB Bob Matheson; 52. LB Channing Crowder; 51. LB Bryan Cox; 50. LB Larry Gordon

49. CB William Judson; 48. CB Gerald Small; 47. S Glenn Blackwood; 46. S Don Bessillieu; 45. CB Curtis Johnson; 44. CB Paul Lankford; 43. S Bud Brown; 42. WR Paul Warfield; 41. FB Keith Byars; 40. S Dick Anderson

39. FB Larry Csonka; 38. DB Calvin Jackson; 37. CB J.B. Brown; 36. FB Don Nottingham; 35. DB Walt Aikens; 34. RB Ricky Williams; 33. RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar; 32. RB Kenyan Drake; 31. S Brock Marion; 30. RB Bernie Parmalee

29. CB Sam Madison; 28. CB Don McNeal; 27. CB Terrell Buckley; 26. S Jarvis Williams; 25. CB Xavien Howard; 24. RB Delvin Williams; 23. Patrick Surtain; 22. RB Tony Nathan; 21. RB Jim Kiick; 20. S Reshad Jones

19. WR-KR Ted Ginn Jr.; 18. WR Rishard Matthews; 17. QB Ryan Tannehill; 16. QB David Woodley; 15. QB Earl Morrall; 14. WR Jarvis Landry; 13. QB Dan Marino; 12. QB Bob Griese; 11. WR-RB-TE Jim Jensen; 10. K Olindo Mare

9. QB Jay Fiedler; 8. QB Matt Moore; 7. K Jason Sanders; 6. QB Jay Cutler; 5. K Dan Carpenter; 4. P Reggie Roby

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)

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.

The top three Dolphins players with number 3

1. K Andrew Franks

2. K Jay Feely

3. P Tom Orosz

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.