Number 35 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

It's special teams standout Walt Aikens against several defensive backs and running backs for top honors

Miami Dolphins safety Walt Aikens (35) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets on a blocked punt during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium in a 2016 game. / Brad Penner-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 35.

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, and FB Don Nottingham at 36.

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 35 for at least one regular season game:

FB Rick Casares (1966), RB Stan Mitchell (1966-70), RB Clayton Heath (1976), RB Nick Giaquinto (1980-81), RB John Tagliaferri (1987), DB Kerry Glenn (1990-92), S Michael Stewart (1994-96), RB Irving Spikes (1997), CB Ben Kelly (2000), S Shawn Wooden (2001), CB Jimmy Wyrick (2004), CB Eddie Jackson (2005), S Tuff Harris (2007), DB Walt Aikens (2014-19); S Kavon Frazier (2020); CB Christopher Milton (2021); RB Chris Brooks (2023)

The breakdown of 35 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins have had a number of players wear 35, but only one of them was a starter for more than one season. That makes coming up with a top three quite the challenge. Stan Mitchell played part of five seasons with the Dolphins for a total of 42 games with 14 starts. He had modest rushing numbers, with 548 career yards and a 3.2 average. Nick Giaquinto was a backup running back for the Dolphins and had 24 catches in 1980. He later joined Washington where he played in Super Bowl XVII against the Dolphins. Kerry Glenn joined the Dolphins from the New York Jets as a Plan B free agent and played 35 games with  one start for Miami. He had two interceptions, both of them in 1990. Safety Michael Stewart is that one player who started more than one season for the Dolphins wearing number 35. Stewart started all 16 games in 1994 and 1995 after arriving as a free agent and had 180 tackles and four interceptions in those two seasons before he was a backup for nine games in 1996. Eddie Jackson played 29 games with three starts for the Dolphins after being claimed off waivers from the Carolina Panthers. Walt Aikens was a special teams standout for the Dolphins for six seasons after arriving as a fourth-round pick in 2014. He missed only three games during those six seasons and started four games.

The top three Dolphins players with number 35

1. DB Walt Aikens

2. S Michael Stewart

3. RB Stan Mitchell

Dolphins 35's among the NFL's all-time best

Longtime Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams is the one player who stands out at this number, and the Dolphins don't have anybody who would merit top 20 consideration or even top 50 consideration here.