Number 70 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Kendall Langford and Ja'Wuan James stand out in a group that lacked a star

Tackle Ja'Wuan James prepares to block Washington outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan during the 2015 season opener at FedEx Field. / Brad Mills-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 70.

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, and Todd Wade at 71.

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

DE Jim Riley (1967-71), DT Larry Woods (1973), T Tom Funchess (1974), DE John Andrews (1975-76), Bob Simpson (1978), DE Bill Barnett (1980-85), NT Brian Sochia (1986-91), T Eric Moore (1995), DT Mike Chalenski (1997), T Harry Swayne (2001), T John St. Clair (2004), T L.J. Shelton (2006-07), DE Kendall Langford (2008-11), G Dallas Thomas (2013), T Ja'Wuan James (2014-18), T Julién Davenport (2019-20), DT Adam Butler (2021), T Kendall Lamm (2022-23)

The breakdown of 70 with the Dolphins

This is an interesting number because we have five players who played at least four seasons with the Dolphins wearing number 70, and there's a case to be made for each of them. Jim Riley started 53 games for the Dolphins, including all but one game in 1970 and 1971 when they made their first two playoff appearances. Bill Barnett gets points for longevity because he played six seasons for the Dolphins, though he started only nine of the 77 games he played. Brian Sochia was a three-year starter at nose tackle for the Dolphins, totaled 13 sacks in those three years and made the Pro Bowl in 1988. Kendall Langford became a starter in the Dolphins' 3-4 defense as a rookie and helped the Dolphins win the AFC East title and remained a starter in his four years in Miami. Ja'Wuan James started 62 games at right tackle for the Dolphins after being a first-round pick in 2014, but his career was strange in that he alternated between starting 15 or 16 games with missing half or more of the season because of injuries. L.J. Shelton started all 32 games he played for the Dolphins, at right guard in 2006 and right tackle in 2007. Dallas Thomas wore 70 for his first of four seasons with Miami before switching to 63. Julien Davenport started eight games for the Dolphins in 2019 after coming over in the Laremy Tunsil trade with Houston.

The top three Dolphins players with number 70

1. DE Kendall Langford

2. T Ja'Wuan James

3. NT Brian Sochia

Dolphins 70's among the NFL's all-time best

There's no Dolphins player here who deserves all-time recognition. There are four Hall of Famers who wore that number — Art Donovan, Sam Huff, Ernie Stautner and Rayfield Wright — and the most prominent active player with that number is Dallas offensive lineman Zack Martin.