Number 64 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Guard from the 1970-80s makes this contest an easy one to judge

Guard Ed Newman in action against the New York Jets at the Orange Bowl in 1979. / Manny Rubio-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 64.

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, and Jeff Dellenbach at 65.

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 64 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

G Ed Newman (1973-84), G Houston Hoover (1994), DT Larry Chester (2002-04), G Kendyl Jacox (2006), C Samson Satele (2007-08, 2014), C Jake Grove (2009), G Josh Samuda (2012), C-G Jake Brendel (2016-18), G Chris Reed (2019), DE Tyshun Render (2020), C Cameron Tom (2021)

The breakdown of 64 with the Dolphins

After having Bob Kuechenberg (67) and Larry Little (66), we're back to another offensive lineman of the 1970s, though Ed Newman didn't really make his mark until the '80s. Either way, he's an easy choice as the top player to wear 64 for the Dolphins. Newman played 12 seasons for the Dolphins, became a full-time starter for the final six and made the Pro Bowl in each of his last four years in Miami before going on to become a judge in Florida. After joining the Dolphins as a free agent, Larry Chester was a very, very good run stopper in 2002 and 2003, but his career ended when he sustained a knee injury in the second game of the 2004 season. It probably wasn't coincidence that the Dolphins run defense went south in his absence. Samson Satele started every game his first two seasons after being a second-round pick in the 2007 draft, but the Dolphins wanted somebody more physical at center, so they traded Satele to the Raiders and signed former Raiders starter Jake Grove as a free agent. Satele ended up returning in 2014 and again started all 16 games before calling it a career. Grove started 10 games for the Dolphins in 2009 after they signed him to a five-year contract, but he was released the following September and never played again in the NFL.

The top three Dolphins players with number 64

1. G Ed Newman

2. DT Larry Chester

3. C Samson Satele

Dolphins 64's among the NFL's all-time best

Guard Randall McDaniel is the one player among the handful of Hall of Famers who wore 64 who really stands out, but Newman belongs among the best of the rest. It's not a stretch to call him a top 10 player with the number.