Number 52 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Channing Crowder and Elandon Roberts among the linebackers who made an impact for Miami

Miami Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) runs off the field during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium in 2022. / Sam Navarro-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 52.

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, and Bob Matheson at 53.

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 52 for at least one regular season game:

C Mike Hudock (1966), LB-K Jimmy Keyes (1968-69), LB Larry Ball (1977-78), DE Mel Land (1979), LB Steve Shull (1981-82), LB Emmett Tilley (1983), LB Terry Tautolo (1983), LB Sanders Shiver (1984), LB Robin Sendlein (1985), LB Scott Nicolas (1987), LB Dennis Fowlkes (1987), LB Mike Reichenbach (1990-91), LB Roosevelt Collins (1992), LB Brant Boyer (1994), LB Jeff Kopp (1995), LB Robert Jones (1998-2000), LB Morlon Greenwood (2001-04), LB Channing Crowder (2005-10), LB Mike Rivera (2012), LB Philip Wheeler (2013-14), LB Kelvin Sheppard (2015), DT Chris Jones (2016), LB Raekwon McMillan (2018-19); LB Elandon Roberts (2021-22)

The breakdown of 52 with the Dolphins

We have arrived at another number without a clear-cut choice as the best to wear while playing for the Dolphins. There are several candidates for the top three spots, however. Robert Jones was a three-year starter after arriving as a free agent in 1998 and was particularly impressive in that first season when he finished with five sacks and two interceptions. Morlon Greenwood was a four-year starter after arriving as a second-round pick in 2003 and made a lot of tackles, including 108 in his final season with the team, though he never was an impact player. Channing Crowder, who is having a great second career as a talk show and podcast host, also was a third-round pick and he started 74 of the 82 games he played for the Dolphins. He had a career-high 113 tackles in 2008 when Miami won the AFC East title and, of course, had a memorable game-clinching interception against Tom Brady in 2009. McMillan was a disappointment as a former second-round pick before he was traded to the Raiders two summers ago. Roberts was effective in 2021 and 2022 wearing 52 after switching from 44 in his first season with the Dolphins.

The top three Dolphins players with number 52

1. LB Channing Crowder

2. LB Robert Jones

3. LB Elandon Roberts

Dolphins 52's among the NFL's all-time best

As with 53, the Dolphins don't have a top 20 player at this number. Ray Lewis probably would get the nod for most observers as the top "52" of all time, with some consideration for the late Mike Webster. The other Hall of Famers who wore mostly 52 are Robert Brazile, Frank Gatski and 2024 inductee Patrick Willis.