10. LB Zach Thomas (1996-2007)

The Pro Football Hall of Fame may be sleeping on Thomas, but we certainly aren’t. Thomas was a staple of some of the best defenses in franchise history, tallying 1,633 of his 1,727 career tackles in 12 years with the Dolphins. Only once in his 12 seasons with the Dolphins did he fail to surpass 100 total tackles (99 tackles in 2000 while playing just 11 games). With five first-team All-Pro honors to his name, Thomas is will forever be remembered as one of the most ferocious defenders in Dolphins history.

9. WR Paul Warfield (1970-1974)

Warfield only played five seasons with the Dolphins, but while in South Florida he was a unique weapon who constantly torched opposing defenses. Averaging 21.5 yards per catch over his five seasons in Miami, Warfield was the big playmaker in Miami’s passing game. His presence helped to mitigate the injury to future Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese early in the 1972 perfect season. Warfield was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

8. LB Nick Buoniconti (1969-1976)

Buoniconti split his career between the Boston Patriots (1962-1968) and the Dolphins. And while Buoniconti made four of his six first-team All-Pro rosters up north, his contributions to the Dolphins defenses of the early 1970s cannot be overstated. Buoniconti, who died in July at the age of 78, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

7. C Dwight Stephenson (1980-1987)

A tragic knee injury in 1987 cut Stephenson’s brilliant career short, but his time on the field was brilliant. His athleticism helped anchor a unit that protected Marino to unparalleled levels during the Dolphins’ stretch as contenders in the mid-1980s. Stephenson, short career and all, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He ended his career with four consecutive first-team All-Pro honors (1984-1987).

6. OL Jim Langer (1970-1979)

Langer’s dominant stretch with the Dolphins spanned from 1973 to 1978, in which he was named to six consecutive Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro squads. Langer was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, six years after he retired from the Dolphins at the age of 33.

5. QB Bob Griese (1967-1980)

Because of injury, Griese did not quarterback the majority of the Dolphins’ 1972 perfect season, but make no mistake: He was the franchise quarterback of that early 1970s dynasty. Griese led the NFL in touchdown passes with 22 in 1977, and his resume also boasts eight Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro honors with the Dolphins. Griese was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

4. DE Jason Taylor (1997-2007, 2009, 2011)

Taylor quietly dominated the NFL for nearly 15 years, largely as a forgotten man thanks to Miami’s lack of contender status during his time with the Dolphins. But Taylor brought home the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006 and finished his career in the top 10 in sacks in NFL history. He was welcomed into Canton as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2017.

3. OG Larry Little (1969-1980)

A five-time first-team All-Pro, Little was a dominant fixture along Miami’s offensive line. Little was named to five consecutive All-Pro teams between 1971 and 1975, in which the Dolphins’ dominant ground game carried them to three consecutive Super Bowls and a combined 57-12-1 record over that stretch. Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

2. FB Larry Csonka (1968-1973, 1979)

The Dolphins’ all-time leading rusher (6,737 yards), Csonka was one of the faces of the franchise as Don Shula’s teams ran roughshod through the NFL. Csonka was the bulldozer — a powerful runner who smashed his way through defensive lines and constantly came back for more. Between 1971 and 1973, Csonka rushed for 3,171 yards and over 1,000 yards in each season, all while being named to his only two first-team All-Pro rosters.

Who knows what Csonka’s career could have looked like? He, Paul Warfield and Jim Kiick announced after the 1973 season that they were signing to play for the Memphis Southmen of the new World Football League. The league folded halfway through their second season. Csonka would eventually set a career high in rushing touchdowns (12) when returning to the Dolphins in 1979 after a three-year stint with the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

1. QB Dan Marino (1983-1999)

Marino retired in the spring of 2000 with nearly the entire book of NFL passing records to his name. Marino was a trailblazer – a man born for the modern game about three decades too soon. His 1984 MVP season was long viewed as the single greatest year the NFL had seen from a quarterback, and his passing yardage record of 5,084 stood for 27 years. Marino entered Canton as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2005 alongside 49ers great Steve Young.

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