{"id":860878,"date":"2026-04-08T12:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860878\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T12:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:35:14","slug":"the-stories-behind-the-new-dolphins-jersey-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860878\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stories Behind the New Dolphins Jersey Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6d\">The Miami Dolphins have unveiled the jersey numbers for their veteran newcomers, along with some changes for a few returning players.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6g\">With 25 updates to player numbers, the roster reads differently this season, numerically speaking. The available numbers the players selected either were worn by former Dolphins who left this past offseason or old numbers for current Miami players who also changed numbers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6j\">The players with updated numbers primarily are retaining numbers that they used with other teams in the NFL or even during their college days.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>BREAKING DOWN THE NEW JERSEY NUMBERSOllie Gordon II, RB, #0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6s\">One of a handful of returners updating their numbers, Gordon is going back to the number he had during his three years at Oklahoma State. He wore 31 after being drafted by Miami since 0 was being used by Zach Wilson, who is now in New Orleans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\">After he was drafted, Gordon said he wouldn\u2019t attempt to take the number from Wilson.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a team guy, so if my guy wants to put that zero on, that\u2019s my teammate now, I\u2019m going to respect him. I just have to find something else I look good in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donavan Edwards, RB, #36<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"71\">Edwards, signed to a future contract earlier this year, will  his number 36, was last used by Storm Duck. Interestingly, Edwards didn\u2019t go with 7, which was his number at Michigan, despite it being currently available as it was last worn by Jason Sanders, who is now with the New York Giants.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"74\">Jalen Tolbert, WR, #1<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"77\">This will be hard to believe for some, but  1 no longer will be associated with Tua Tagovailoa. Tolbert is taking the number, which was his number with Dallas from 2024 to 2025. Tolbert had worn 18 before that, but 2024 was a breakout season for him, with 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tutu Atwell, WR, #4<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7d\">Atwell is now wearing 4, which was used by Kader Kohou, who is now in Kansas City. This will be the first time that Atwell will sport the number, as he used 1 in college and 15 and 5 with the Los Angeles Rams. If he wanted to go back to 1, perhaps Tolbert beat him to it.<\/p>\n<p>Zack Kuntz, TE, #83<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7j\">Kuntz, signed earlier this year, is taking over the number previously used by Darren Waller. Kuntz has never used 83, but used 82 and 80 with Penn State and Old Dominion, and 81 with the New York Jets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7m\">83 is a popular number with pass catchers in Miami. It&#8217;s been used by Malik Washington, Wes Welker and, most famously, Mark Clayton.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Sims, TE, #89<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7s\">Sims is keeping 89 within the tight end room, as it was last used by a current member of New England, Julian Hill. While he used different numbers at Baylor, Sims has exclusively used 89 in the NFL with Green Bay and Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Heck, OL, #67<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7y\">67 has last been worn in a Dolphins regular season game by center Ted Karras in 2020. Heck is acquiring a familiar number, as it was his number at North Carolina, as well as both Houston and Arizona in the NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jamaree Salyer, OL, #69<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"84\">Cole Strange, now a member of the Los Angeles Chargers, was the last to use 69 for Miami. Now it\u2019ll be used by Salyer, who gets his old number from Georgia. He had to settle for 68 in his four seasons with the Chargers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ronnie Harrison, LB, #56<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-23\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8a\">Harrison is moving to 56 with Miami, a number last used by Quinton Bell. This will be a new number for Harrison, who hadn&#8217;t used a number in the 50s up to this point. Unless it&#8217;s somehow a reference to five-time Pro Bowl linebacker John Offerdahl, who also wore 56, it\u2019s simply a new number.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Josh Uche, EDGE, #9<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-25\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8g\">Uche is going with 9, which was worn by safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in 2025. It\u2019s a new number for Uche, with the closest number he&#8217;s worn being 6 with Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>David Ojabo, EDGE, #50<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-27\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8m\">50 was used in 2025 by Andre Carter II, who is now with Washington. Ojabo now has the number, with it being a new one for him. In his four years with Baltimore, Ojabo wore 90, but that\u2019s being used by Kenneth Grant in Miami.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Beal Jr., EDGE, #51<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-29\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8s\">Beal is going to roll with 51, which was last used by Caleb Johnson. He retains the number he&#8217;s worn for three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n<p>Marco Wilson, DB, #21<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-31\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8y\">In his first season with Miami, Wilson will wear 21. That was last used by safety Ashtyn Davis. Wilson has previously used the number before but has skated around it, with uses of 20, 22 and 24 with Arizona, New England and Cincinnati.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Darrell Baker Jr., DB, #22<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-33\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"94\">Baker is going with 22, which was worn by Elijah Campbell, who is now with the New York Giants. It\u2019s a completely new number for Baker, who can\u2019t use 39, which is what he used with Indianapolis and Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-34\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"97\">It\u2019s one of three retired numbers for the Dolphins, having been worn by two-time Super Bowl champion Larry Csonka. The other two retired numbers are 12 (Bob Griese) and 13 (Dan Marino).<\/p>\n<p>Zayne Anderson, DB, #23<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-36\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9d\">Formerly used by Jack Jones, Anderson is copping 23 with Miami. While he exclusively used 39 with Kansas City and Green Bay, 23 was used by Anderson from 2017 to 2020 with BYU.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Austin, DB, #26<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-38\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9j\">Last worn by Rasul Douglas, 26 now belongs to Austin. He wore 27 and 28 with Houston and New England, but those numbers are currently being used by Ethan Bonner and De\u2019Von Achane, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Storm Duck, DB, #29<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-40\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9p\">Duck also will be entering his third season with the Dolphins with a new number. He\u2019s switching to 29, which was last used by Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is now a member of the New York Jets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-41\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9s\">29 was Duck\u2019s number at both North Carolina and Louisville, except for the 2022 season when he switched to 3 before switching back. Ironically, he mentioned in 2025 that the reason he wore 29 at college was because of Fitzpatrick.\u00a0\u201cI haven\u2019t told Minkah this yet, but he\u2019s the reason why I wore 29 when I was at North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>JuJu Brents, CB, #8<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-43\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9y\">After playing with number 32 last season after being claimed off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts, Brents is back for a second year with the number worn last year by veteran Matthew Judon. It&#8217;s a new number for Brents, who has worn 20, 23, 29 and 32 during his collegiate and NFL days.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Maitre, DB, #31<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-45\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a4\">Ollie Gordon\u2019s old number is immediately being picked up by Maitre. The closest number to 31 that was worn by Maitre is 38, back in his first season with Boston College. He last wore 43 with the Dolphins.<\/p>\n<p>Lonnie Johnson Jr., DB, #32<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-47\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"aa\">Like how Maitre picked up Gordon\u2019s old number, Johnson has done the same with Brents&#8217; old number. He gets to retain the number he wore with Houston in 2019-20, Carolina in 2024, and Las Vegas in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Isaiah Johnson, DB, #37<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-49\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ag\">Johnson will move to #37, which was used by last year by practice squad running back JaMycal Hasty. Johnson had used that number when he first joined the Dolphins in 2024, before moving to #46 the following season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Zane Gonzalez, K, #45<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-51\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"am\">The former number used by current Dolphins tight end Zack Kuntz earlier in the offseason, Gonzalez gets to keep the number he just wore with Atlanta last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bradley Pinion, P, #48<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-53\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"as\">Pinion is taking the former number of Donovan Edwards for this upcoming season. It&#8217;s a new number for him, and the first number in the 40s in his career, including his time at Clemson.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Seth Vernon, P, #49<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-55\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ay\">49 was last used by long snapper Joe Cardona, who is now a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Vernon was assigned this same number during his time with Minnesota back in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Taybor Pepper, LS, #41<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-57\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b4\">Pepper is going with 41 in his second stint with the Dolphins. This is a new number for Pepper, who he wore 46 with Miami in 2019 as well as San Francisco from 2020 to 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tucker Addington, LS,\u00a0 #46<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-59\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ba\">Addington is retaining Isaih Johnson\u2019s old number with the Dolphins, 46. It&#8217;s the number he wore in New England when he began his NFL career in 2022. He went back to that number in 2024 with Miami and kept it with Pittsburgh last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Dolphins have unveiled the jersey numbers for their veteran newcomers, along with some changes for a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2049],"tags":[217,7,216,251,2087,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-860878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-dolphins","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-miami","11":"tag-miami-dolphins","12":"tag-miamidolphins","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116369118134060354","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}