Number 46 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Five different positions have been represented among the eight players to wear this number, but no one really stood out

Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Neville Hewitt against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field in 2016. / Kevin Hoffman-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 46.

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, and Glenn Blackwood at 47.

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 46 for at least one regular season game:

S Hal Wantland (1966), S Don Bessillieu (1979-81), FB Pete Johnson (1984), DB Mark Irvin (1987), TE Dave Moore (1992), LB Boomer Grigsby (2008), LB Neville Hewitt (2015-17), LS Taybor Pepper (2019)

The breakdown of 46 with the Dolphins

This is another one of those numbers with few players who made an impact wearing it, with only two players actually wearing 46 for the Dolphins for more than one season. Those two were defensive back Don Bessillieu, a fifth-round pick in the 1979 draft, and linebacker Neville Hewitt, who made the Dolphins roster as a rookie free agent. Bessillieu played three full seasons for Miami and started 19 games, including 13 in 1980 when he also was the team's main kickoff returner. Bessillieu had four interceptions and two fumble recoveries in that 1980 season. Hewitt started seven of his 38 games in his three seasons with Miami, and had one sack and one interception before he moved on to the Jets. Johnson played only one season for the Dolphins, but made a nice contribution after being acquired in a trade with the Chargers early in the 1984 season. The big fullback scored nine rushing touchdowns in 13 games for the Dolphins that season. Taybor Pepper served as the long-snapper in 2019 before being released this April the day after the Dolphins selected Blake Ferguson in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

The top three Dolphins players with number 46

1. S Don Bessillieu

2. LB Neville Hewitt

3. FB Pete Johnson

Dolphins 46's among the NFL's all-time best

There is no Hall of Famer who wore mostly 46 as a player, but the best of the bunch probably is Johnson, though he did most of his work with the Cincinnati Bengals. Longtime Raiders tight end Todd Christensen and longtime 49ers safety Tim McDonald, the father of one-time Dolphins safety T.J. McDonald, are two other notables with that number. None of the Dolphins players would rank among the top 20.