Number 45 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Super Bowl cornerback Curtis Johnson is the clear top choice, but current linebacker Duke Riley merit a top three spot?

Miami Dolphins linebacker Duke Riley (45) celebrates after recording a sack against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter at FedExField last December. / Geoff Burke-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 45.

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, and DB Don Bessilieu at 46.

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 45 for at least one regular season game:

CB Mack Lamb (1967-68), CB Curtis Johnson (1970-78), DB Ed Taylor (1979-81), DB Robert Sowell (1983-85), S Trell Hooper (1987), CB Rodney Thomas (1988), S Bobby Harden (1990-93), S Brian Walker (1998, 2000-01), KR Lamont Brightful (2004), FB Reagan Maui'a (2007), LB Austin Spitler (2013), LB Jake Knott (2014), LB Mike Hull (2015-18); LB Duke Riley (2021-23)

The breakdown of 45 with the Dolphins

There isn't a debate when it comes to the top player to wear 45 for the Dolphins because cornerback Curtis Johnson was a starter for the Super Bowl defenses of the 1970s. Johnson never got the credit he fully deserved (never made the Pro Bowl) despite being a very good cornerback. His best season statistically was his first when he had three interceptions and four fumble recoveries. The battle for the second and third spots at number 45 is a lot closer. Everett Taylor, who went by Ed Taylor, played in 27 games with five starts for the Dolphins and had three interceptions in 1980. Robert Sowell spent a total of four seasons with the Dolphins, though in his last in 1987 he wore 42. In the first, he was a special teams specialist who appeared in 42 games with one start. Bobby Harden, a two-time national champion at the University of Miami, played 29 games in four seasons with the Dolphins and all five of his starts came in 1991 when he had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Brian Walker started all 29 games he played in his second stint with Miami after spending the 1999 season with Seattle. He probably should have made the Pro Bowl in 2000 when he had seven interceptions and two forced fumbles. Mike Hull made the Dolphins roster after being undrafted and made four starts while playing every game in 2016 and 2017. But knee problems cost him the first half of 2018 and all of 2019, and the Dolphins let him go this offseason. Duke Riley has been a solid backup for the past three seasons, has made 10 starts and been a major contributor on special teams. Mack Lamb's name should be familiar to Dolphins fans, but not because of his two seasons in Miami (15 games, six starts). It's because he was the player traded to the San Diego Chargers in the deal that brought back a little-known offensive lineman who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career for the Dolphins, Larry Little. Reagan Maui'a, a sixth-round pick out of Hawaii, was best known for a YouTube video where he rammed head-first into a wall and then screamed, "I'm the F---ing juggernaut." He played one season for the Dolphins and started nine games, but was waived the following August and went on to play four more seasons in the NFL.

The top three Dolphins players with number 45

1. CB Curtis Johnson

2. S Brian Walker

3. LB Duke Riley

Dolphins 45's among the NFL's all-time best

There are three Hall of Famers who wore mostly 45, the most notable being longtime Seahawks safety Kenny Easley, but Johnson has a case for a top 10 spot here, maybe even top five. He is fifth on Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value list among those who wore 45, though Hall of Famers Emlen Tunnell and Bill Willis aren't included before they played before 1960.