A year ago, I flew to Canton, Ohio with my dad and grandpa to watch legendary Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF). He gave one of the best HOF speeches of all-time, no bias.
Zach Thomas was the most recent Miami great inducted since Jason Taylor in 2017 and Marino in 2005. With the 2024 ceremony last weekend, I felt like I should make the case for more former Dolphins who deserve a gold jacket and see how they compare to other NFL legends.
Tyreek Hill & Jalen Ramsey
Obviously, these two are currently playing for Miami, and I shouldn’t have to make a case for them because I’m pretty sure everyone believes they’ll both be first-ballot Hall of Famers. So, I’ll go through this one quickly and let the stats speak for themselves. It would be pretty cool if they went in together.
Tyreek Hill:
- 2016-Present (8 seasons)
- Over 700 receptions, 10K yards, and 76 touchdowns
- 8x Pro Bowl (every season of his career)
- 5x All-Pro
- 1x Super Bowl Champ (Kansas City)
Jalen Ramsey:
- 2016-Present (8 seasons)
- 22 interceptions, 97 pass deflections, and 474 combined tackles
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 3x All-Pro
- 1x Super Bowl Champ (L.A. Rams)
Richmond Webb
Webb played 11 seasons at Left Tackle with the Miami Dolphins from 1990-2000 and spent nine of those protecting the blind side of HOF Quarterback Dan Marino. Webb made an impact right away after being drafted in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft and made the pro bowl as a rookie. He was also selected as part of the Hall of Fame’s All-1990 Decade team, yet hasn’t been a HOF recipient since he became eligible in 2008.
Another notable Offensive Tackle on that HOF All-1990 team is Gary Zimmerman, who was a part of the 2008 Hall of Fame class, so let’s take a look at how his career accolades compare to Webb’s:
- Gary Zimmerman
- 12 seasons (Minnesota/Denver)
- 184 career games played
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 5x All-Pro
- 1x Super Bowl Champ
- Richmond Webb
- 13 seasons (Miami/Cincinnati)
- 184 career games played
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 4x All-Pro
Zimmerman isn’t the only Tackle from that era who has similar statistics and accolades to Webb. And because of that, Richard Webb should be immortalized in Canton.
Cameron Wake
Wake was my favorite player growing up and the only good piece of some awful Dolphins teams in the 2010s. He went undrafted in 2005 and played in Canada before finding his way to Miami and becoming a superstar. He spent 10 out of his 11 NFL seasons with the ‘Fins and had five seasons with ten or more sacks. Wake hasn’t played since his lone season with the Titans in 2019, which makes him HOF eligible for the first time next year.
Colts legendary defensive end Dwight Freeney was recently inducted into the HOF as a part of the 2024 class and is obviously one of the greats. He played longer than Wake, but how do the stats stack up?
- Dwight Freeney
- 17 seasons (11 with Indianapolis)
- 125.5 career sacks
- 350 career combined tackles
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 5x All-Pro
- 1x Super Bowl Champ
- Cameron Wake
- 11 seasons (10 with Miami)
- 100.5 career sacks
- 364 career combined tackles
- 5x Pro Bowl
- 4x All-Pro
Wake dealt with plenty of injuries in his career, but people forget how dominant he was in his prime. Unfortunately, he just gets overlooked for playing on bad Dolphins teams that received little attention. I hope to see him make it to the Hall of Fame one day.
Xavien Howard
After the Cameron Wake era, the torch was passed to Xavien Howard as the anchor of the Dolphins’ defense. Miami drafted him in 2016 and parted ways with the team this offseason, but he has yet to find a new home. He’s battled some difficult injuries, so we don’t know if this means retirement for Howard, but he’ll still finish with a great career, nonetheless. His 2020 season will be one of the best single seasons by a Cornerback in NFL History when he had ten interceptions, was First-team All-Pro, and made the Pro Bowl.
Former NFL Cornerback Aqib Talib is HOF eligible for the first time next year. He is unlikely to be a first-ballot inductee, but many believe he will make it in due time. How different is his career from Xavien Howard’s?
- Aqib Talib
- 11 seasons (Tampa Bay, New England, Denver, L.A.)
- 35 interceptions, 125 pass deflections
- 5x Pro Bowl
- 2x All-Pro
- 1x Super Bowl Champ
- Xavien Howard
- 8 seasons (Miami)
- 29 interceptions, 95 pass deflections
- 4x Pro Bowl
- 2x All-Pro
To me, the question isn’t whether Howard had the talent or the numbers to back it up, but rather whether he played long enough to make a case for the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, the answer is yes.
Any Miami Dolphins I didn’t mention who you think deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Let’s hear it. Who knows… maybe a few more good seasons, and we’ll be discussing Tua or Waddle on this list.
