Number 56 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 56 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 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 58.

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.

The top players at each number so far have been:

99. DE/LB Jason Taylor; 98. DL Jared Odrick; 97. DT Jordan Phillips; 96. DT Paul Soliai; 95. DT Tim Bowens; 94. DT Randy Starks; 93. DE Trace Armstrong; 92. LS John Denney; 91. DE/LB Cameron Wake; 90. DE/LB Marco Coleman

89. WR Nat Moore; 88. TE Keith Jackson; 87. TE Andre Tillman; 86. WR Oronde Gadsden; 85. LB Nick Buoniconti; 84. DE Bill Stanfill; 83. WR Mark Clayton; 82. WR Brian Hartline; 81. WR O.J. McDuffie; 80. WR Irving Fryar

79. T Jon Giesler; 78. T Richmond Webb; 77. DE/LB A.J. Duhe; 76. T Branden Albert; 75. DT Manny Fernandez; 74. T Mark Dennis; 73. DT Bob Baumhower; 72. DT Bob Heinz; 71. T Todd Wade; 70. DE Kendall Langford

69. G Keith Sims; 68. T Eric Laakso; 67. G/T Bob Kuechenberg; 66. G Larry Little; 65. OL Jeff Dellenbach; 64. G Ed Newman; 63. G/T Mark Dixon; 62. C Jim Langer; 61. C Tim Ruddy; 60. G Bert Weidner

59. LB Doug Swift; 58. DE-LB Kim Bokamper; 57. C Dwight Stephenson

Players who wore 56 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

LB Bob Bruggers (1966-68), LB Jesse Powell (1968-73), LB Steve Towle (1975-80), LB Charles Bowser (1982-85), LB John Offerdahl (1986-93), LB Mike Crawford (1997), LB Twan Russell (2000-02), LB Derrick Pope (2004-07), LB Kevin Burnett (2011-12), LB Jonathan Freeny (2013-14), LB James-Michael Johnson (2015), LB Donald Butler (2016), DT Davon Godchaux (2017-20)

The breakdown of 56 with the Dolphins

Though not quite as dominant as number 57 Dwight Stephenson, linebacker John Offerdahl is another clear choice for number 1 with this jersey number. Offerdahl made the Pro Bowl each of his first five seasons with the Dolphins after being a second-round pick out of Western Michigan and he ended up starting 86 of the 89 games he played for Miami. Steve Towle was another very good linebacker for the Dolphins, and he started 64 games before injuries took their toll (no pun intended). Towle was the Dolphins MVP in 1976 when he finished with more than 200 tackles. The last spot has to come down to Charles Bowser or Davon Godchaux. Bowser was a member of the Killer B's defense and started 33 games. He had nine sacks during the Dolphins' Super Bowl run of 1984. Godchaux started two-plus seasons and was the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2019.

Worth noting

Powell played five seasons for the Dolphins, but he started only three games — all of them in 1971. ... Russell, who started four games in 2000-01, is a member of the organization to this day. ... Pope played 55 games with 14 starts after being a seventh-round pick out of Alabama. ... Burnett started all 32 games he played for the Dolphins after arriving as a free agent. ... The Dolphins were one of three teams with which Johnson played in 2015.

The top three Dolphins players with number 56

1. LB John Offerdahl

2. LB Steve Towle

3. DT Davon Godchaux