Former, current, sort of Miami Dolphins players among Hall of Fame nominees

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the list of 167 nominees for the 2025 class, including ten players affiliated with the Miami Dolphins.

These connections typically involve former Dolphins players, but also extend to current wide receivers coach Wes Welker (though he also played for Miami) and cornerback Aqib Talib, who never played for the team but was drafted for the second half of 2020.

Former Dolphins players on the list of nominees include Ricky Williams, Brandon Marshall, Irving Fryar, Richmond Webb, Josh Sitton, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Troy Vincent and Matt Turk.

In the next step of the selection process, a screening committee will reduce the list to 50 (plus any ties for 50th place). The results of that reduction will be announced in mid-October.

The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee will narrow the list to 25 semifinalists later this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 finalists to be considered at the annual meeting prior to Super Bowl LVIX. This will create a new class of three to five modern-era players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws.

None of the 10 players with Dolphins ties have ever been semifinalists. It’s not certain they’ll make the cut this year, though we’d consider Webb, Marshall and Fryar the top candidates.

Ricky Williams played for the Dolphins from 2002-10 as part of his 11-year NFL career. His one Pro Bowl and All-Pro season came in his first year in Miami when he led the league with a franchise record 1,853 rushing yards.

Richmond Webb played the first 11 years of his 13-year NFL career with the Dolphins, being named a Pro Bowl player in each of his first seven seasons and selected to the All-Pro team twice.

Welker played for Miami for over two seasons at the start of his career, but his career as a player really broke through after he was transferred to New England. For that club he played five seasons with 111 or more catches.

Marshall and Fryar both had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Dolphins after being acquired in a trade.

Vincent, now an NFL executive, was selected in the first round of the 1992 draft by the Dolphins and played four good seasons, but his five Pro Bowl seasons came with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bringing Talib along presents a challenge, as he never played for the Dolphins, though he was with the team in 2019 after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. The move was a salary dump by the Rams, who gave the Dolphins a fourth-round pick along with Talib and took a seventh-round selection from Miami, with Talib finishing that season on the injured list before retiring.

The Dolphins have 11 Hall of Famers, players who made their greatest contributions to the team or had a major impact with Miami.

The list includes coach Don Shula, quarterbacks Bob Griese and Dan Marino, running back Larry Csonka, wide receiver Paul Warfield, offensive linemen Jim Langer, Larry Little and Dwight Stephenson, defensive end Jason Taylor and linebackers Nick Buoniconti and Zach Thomas.

Other Hall of Famers who spent time with Miami but made their names with other organizations include executives George Young and Bobby Beathard, head coach Jimmy Johnson, running back Thurman Thomas, wide receiver Cris Carter and linebacker Junior Seau.