Number 82 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Wide receivers like Brian Hartline and Duriel Harris highlight this list

Brian Hartline during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2013. / Timothy T. Ludwig-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 82.

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, and Mark Clayton at 83.

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

TE-K Doug Moreau (1966-69), WR Otto Stowe (1971-72), WR Bo Rather (1973), WR Melvin Baker (1974), WR Cotton Speyrer (1975), WR Morris Owens (1975-76), Ike Hill (1976), WR Duriel Harris (1977-85), WR Fernanza Burgess (1984), WR James Pruitt (1986-88), Todd Felman (1987), WR Andre Brown (1989-90), WR Scott Miller (1991-92), WR Mark Ingram (1993-94), TE Frank Wainright (1995-98), WR Larry Shannon (1999), WR Roell Preston (1999), WR Kevin McKenzie (1999), TE Jed Weaver (2000-02), WR Kendall Newson (2003), WR Bryan Gilmore (2006-08), WR Brian Hartline (2009-14), TE Cethan Carter (2021-22), TE Tyler Kroft (2023)

The debate on the best 82 on the Dolphins

As we move to number 82 in the jersey countdown, it's interesting to note that no player had worn the number since 2014 before Cethan Carter got it in 2021. Coincidentally, the player who probably was the most productive wearing 82 was the last person to wear it before Carter: Brian Hartline. A fourth-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft, Hartline was a five-year starter for the Dolphins who had 1,000-yard seasons in 2012 and 2013. Second place probably would have to go to Duriel Harris, who wore 26 as a rookie third-round pick in 1976 before switching to 82. Harris started 61 games in nine seasons with the Dolphins and led the team in receiving in 1981 when he had 53 catches for 911 yards. Beyond those two, there's nobody who clearly stands out, though Mark Ingram deserves mention for two solid seasons and his memorable four-touchdown game against the New York Jets, including being on the receiving end of the "fake spike" in 1994. Doug Moreau started 28 games at tight end for the Dolphins and have 34 catches in 1967. He was 1-for-3 on field goal attempts in 1968.   Three different players wore 82 during the 1999 season, starting with 1998 third-round pick Larry Shannon, a wide receiver out of East Carolina who had missed his entire rookie season with a back injury afterJimmy Johnson favorably compared him to Randy Moss .... Tight end Jed Weaver caught only 34 passes in his three seasons with the Dolphins, but he should be remembered for catching the game-tying touchdown pass in the overtime playoff victory against the Colts in 2000. ... Preston Williams wore 82 in training camp as a rookie in 2019 before switching to 18 before the start of the regular season.

The top three Dolphins players with number 82

1. WR Brian Hartline

2. WR Duriel Harris

3. WR Mark Ingram

Dolphins 82's among the NFL's all-time best

The three Hall of Famers who predominantly wore 82 are Raymond Berry, John Stallworth and Ozzie Newsome. The others with that numbers who stand out would be Jason Witten and Jimmy Smith. This is not a number where the Dolphins have anybody who would rank in the top 20.