As football fans, we’ve all found ourselves in debates over player rankings or why this quarterback is better than the other… I know I’ve had too many of those Tua>Herbert conversations with my friends.

In fact, the NFL invites these debates to take place.

Before the beginning of each season, it releases a ranking of the Top 100 Players in the NFL, which is voted on by the players themselves. Being named one of the best players in football by your peers is huge deal, considering there are over 1500 other athletes in the league.

So far, players 21-100 have been announced, with the top 20 to still be named in the coming days. And there is no shortage of Dolphins on the list, which has me asking… why aren’t Dolphins fans making a bigger deal out of this?

For decades, Dolphins fans (including myself) have dealt with a carousel of head coaches and quarterbacks, sloppy defenses, and mediocre seasons. And if anything should tell you we are reaching towards the end of that era, it’s this year’s NFL Top 100 Players list because Miami has the best roster it’s had in 20 years!

According to players in the league, the Dolphins have eight stars in the top 70 (Tyreek Hill has yet to be named, but we’re all expecting to see his name soon), with five players who were on the list last year.

Where Dolphins were ranked in 2023 compared to 2024:

  • Offensive Tackle  Terron Armstead: #83 to #67
  • Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa: #82 to #36
  • Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle: #44 to #63
  • Cornerback Jalen Ramsey: #36 to #25
  • Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill: #7 to TBD

Other Dolphins to appear on the list this year include:

  • Safety Jordan Poyer: #66
  • Edge Bradley Chubb: #62
  • Running Back Raheem Mostert: #60

Not to mention, a few former Dolphins also ranked in the top 100 (and all were drafted by current Miami General Manager Chris Grier):

  • Steelers Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick: #79
  • Texans Offensive Tackle Laremy Tunsil: # 71
  • Raiders Defensive Tackle Christian Wilkins: #58

And of course, there are plenty of current Dolphins players who I believe got snubbed and should definitely be on it next year… cough cough… Jevon Holland and Jaelan Phillips.

Could I look at this year’s list and say Waddle is definitely too low, and it makes absolutely no sense that Jordan Love and Brock Purdy are ranked ahead of Tua? Yes.

More importantly, this year’s Top 100 players list should prove to Dolphins fans who have a hard time believing that success is on the horizon that whether through the draft or through free agency, the Dolphins have built a winning roster that can compete for a championship.

So, I urge my peers, try to find the last time Miami had at least 8 players on its roster who were considered top 100 players, and when you discover that just 4 years ago they had no players on the list and never had more 3 on it until 2023, it’s time to embrace an optimistic outlook for the future of this team.