Number 44 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

No clear-cut choice here behind 1980s starting cornerback Paul Lankford

Miami Dolphins defensive back Paul Lankford during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Orange Bowl in 1986. / RVR Photos-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 44.

The top players at each number so far have been Jason Taylor at 99, Jared Odrick at 98, Phillip Merling at 97, Paul Soliai at 96, Tim Bowens at 95, Randy Starks at 94,  Trace Armstrong at 93, John Denney at 92, Cameron Wake at 91, Marco Coleman at 90,  Nat Moore at 89, Keith Jackson at 88, Andre Tillman at 87, Oronde Gadsden at 86, Nick Buoniconti at 85, Bill Stanfill at 84, Mark Clayton at 83, Brian Hartline at 82, O.J. McDuffie at 81, Irving Fryar at 80, Jon Giesler at 79, Richmond Webb at 78, A.J. Duhe at 77, Branden Albert at 76, Manny Fernandez at 75, Mark Dennis at 74, Bob Baumhower at 73, Terron Armstead at 72, Todd Wade at 71, Kendall Langford at 70, Keith Sims at 69, Robert Hunt at 68, Bob Kuechenberg at 67, Larry Little at 66, Jeff Dellenbach at 65, Ed Newman at 64, Mark Dixon at 63, Jim Langer at 62, Tim Ruddy at 61, Bert Weidner at 60, Doug Swift at 59, Kim Bokamper at 58, Dwight Stephenson at 57, John Offerdahl at 56, Earnest Rhone at 55, Zach Thomas at 54, Bob Matheson at 53, Channing Crowder at 52, Bryan Cox at 51, Larry Gordon at 50, William Judson at 49, Gerald Small at 48, Glenn Blackwood at 47, Don Bessilieu at 46, and Curtis Johnson at 45.

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 44 for at least one regular season game:

DB Pete Jaquess (1966-67), DB Dick Washington (1968), DB Dean Brown (1970), DB Barry Hill (1975-76), DB Charles Cornelius (19977-78), S Doug Beaudoin (1980), CB Paul Lankford (1982-91), RB Bobby Humphrey (1992), FB Rob Konrad (1999-2004), FB Heath Evans (2005), S Cameron Worrell (2007), S Jordan Kovacs (2013-14), LB Stephone Anthony (2017-18), LB Deon Lacey (2019); LB Elandon Roberts (2020); LS Blake Ferguson (2021-23)

The breakdown of 44 with the Dolphins

As we move to 44, it's hard to go against cornerback Paul Lankford as the top choice, given that he played 10 seasons with the Dolphins and was a starter for half of those. He ended up with a total of 72 starts and had 13 interceptions, including four in 1985, and three in both 1984 and 1987. The only other player who could make a claim for the top spot for number 44 is fullback Rob Konrad, a second-round pick in the 1999 draft. Konrad started 57 games in six seasons. Though he arrived as more of a threat with the ball in his hands than a blocker, he never put up big numbers, with career highs of 251 yards rushing and 34 catches. Pete Jaquess started 14 games over the Dolphins' first two seasons and had three interceptions in 1966. Barry Hill joined the Dolphins as a fifth-round pick in 1975 and was named the team's Outstanding Special Teams Player as a rookie. He then started the first six games in the secondary in 1976 before an injury landed him on IR and he never played in the NFL again. Safety Jordan Kovacs played 28 games, almost exclusively on special teams after bouncing on and off the roster and practice squad over the course of three seasons. Long-snapper Blake Ferguson switched to 44 from 50 for three seasons before switching to 48 this year. Fullback Heath Evans was signed as a free agent in 2005, but was released after six games, two of which he started. Evans went on to play three-plus seasons with the Patriots and two with the Saints, with who he won a Super Bowl in the 2009 season. Stephone Anthony was a backup for 24 games after arriving in a trade with New Orleans and he returned to the Saints in 2019 after being released last summer by the Falcons and the Jets.

The top three Dolphins players with number 44

1. CB Paul Lankford

2. FB Rob Konrad

3. LS Blake Ferguson

Dolphins 44's among the NFL's all-time best

No Dolphins player would be considered a top 20 player at this number. There are five "44's" who are Hall of Famers, a group led by Floyd Little and John Riggins.