Number 70 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 70 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

Alain Poupart | Jun 30, 2022

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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 70.

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)

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.

Worth noting

Simpson, an eighth-round pick in 1978, played five games for the Dolphins that season and that was the extent of his NFL career. ... Eric Moore began his career as a first-round pick of the New York Giants in 1988 and ended it with two games as a backup for Miami in 1995. ... Swayne's 15-year NFL career ended with his one season for the Dolphins. ... 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. ... 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

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.

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Published Jun 30, 2022

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.