Number 73 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Bob Baumhower and Norm Evans stand out at number 73, while current digit owner Austin Jackson deserves consideration for the top three.

Tackle Austin Jackson during the first half of the game against the New England Patriotsat Hard Rock Stadium in 2023. / Jasen Vinlove-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 73.

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, and Mark Dennis at 74.

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

T Norm Evans (1966-75), DT Bob Baumhower (1977-86), T Greg Johnson (1988), T Ron Heller (1993-95), G Billy Yates (2003), T Stockar McDougle (2005), G Evan Mathis (2008), DT Julius Warmsley (2016), C Wesley Johnson (2018), G/T Austin Jackson (2020-23)

The debate on the best 73 on the Dolphins

We're back at a number with two players who clearly stood out above the rest, in this case tackle Norm Evans and defensive tackle Bob Baumhower. Evans was a 10-year starter after joining the Dolphins in the expansion draft and made the Pro Bowl twice, in the perfect 1972 season and again in 1974. Baumhower started nine years, but missed a full season because of a leg injury. He made the Pro Bowl five times and was named an All-Pro in 1983. Where Baumhower might have the edge is that he was the best player on the Dolphins defense for a few years, whereas Evans was a good player on an offensive line with two Hall of Famers (Larry Little and Jim Langer). The other two players worthy of mention who wore 73 were tackle Ron Heller, who started for two-plus seasons after signing as a free agent, and the current number owner Austin Jackson, who's coming off a breakout season and has a new contract extension to show for it. Evan Mathis is a classic guy of a guy who got away because after he played in seven games with no starts in 2008, he went on to start 79 more games in the NFL and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Eagles.

The top three Dolphins players with number 73

1. DT Bob Baumhower

2. T Norm Evans

3. T Ron Heller

Dolphins 73's among the NFL's all-time best

While Duhe's playoff performance against the Jets can match up with just about any in NFL history, the reality is that neither Duhe nor Long probably would get a top 20 spot here. Among the Hall of Famers to wear 77 were Karl Mecklenburg and Willie Roaf.