Number 96 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Only two players have worn this number for more than three seasons with Miami

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Paul Soliai (96) during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2012. / 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 96.

The top players at each number so far have been Jason Taylor at 99, Jared Odrick at 98 and Phillip Merling at 97.

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

LB Sanders Shiver (1985), LB David Marshall (1987), NT Alfred Oglesby (1990-92), DT Mike Golic (1993), DE Danny Stubbs (1996-98), DE Rich Owens (1999-2000), DE David Bowens (2001-06), DT Paul Soliai (2007-13), LB Robert Thomas (2015), DT A.J. Francis (2015), DT Leon Orr (2016), DT Vincent Taylor (2017-18), DE Taco Charlton (2019), DT Justin Zimmer (2022), DT Brandon Pili (2023)

The debate on the best 96 on the Dolphins

Alfred Oglesby started 18 games for the Dolphins after being a third-round pick in 1990, but he will be most remembered for making up a story about being kidnapped to avoid getting in trouble with Coach Don Shula for breaking curfew and missing practice. Danny Stubbs had nine sacks in his first season with the Dolphins after being reunited with his former University of Miami coach Jimmy Johnson, but injuries limited him to only six games in his final two years in Miami. Likewise, Rich Owens had a very good first season with Miami (8.5 sacks), but he wasn't able to follow it up. David Bowens was mostly a backup during his six seasons with the Dolphins, but he was a high-energy player and he averaged six sacks from 2004-06. Paul Soliai was a non-factor early in his career after arriving as a fourth-round pick, but a heart-to-heart talk with then-coach Tony Sparano turned things around. Soliai became a top-notch nose tackle and he started 62 games for the Dolphins and made the Pro Bowl in 2011. One of the latest players to wear number 96 for the Dolphins, Taco Charlton, had four sacks in his first five games for Miami but was a non-factor down the stretch in the 2019 season and was released the next offseason.

The top three Dolphins players with number 96

1. Paul Soliai

2. David Bowens

3. Danny Stubbs

Where No. 1 ranks among the NFL's all-time best

While no Dolphins player who wore 96 would be considered an all-time great, Pro Football Reference did have Soliai ranked 17th among all players who wore that jersey number after 60 based on its Approximate Value category. The best player to wear 96, though, probably would have to be Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy, who played for the Seattle Seahawks after attending the University of Miami.