Top 25 Dolphins Since 2000: Players 10-1

Finally, we’ve arrived at the start of Dolphins training camp, and with that, it’s time to put an end to this list. Here, we feature the ten best Dolphins of the 2000s, which includes two Hall of Fame inductees, a current player in search of a bounce-back year, and a few players who should no doubt be inducted into the Dolphins ring of honor.

• #10 Ricky Williams

Williams is likely the Dolphin with the murkiest tenure on the team, and yet somehow he finds himself on this list despite multiple failed drug tests and an unexpected retirement two days before training camp. He arrived in Miami in a trade that gave away two first-round picks, a price that simply wouldn’t happen in today’s NFL for a running back, after he had an underwhelming tenure in New Orleans. However, he broke out in his first season in Miami, setting the franchise record for rushing yards in a single season, surpassing the previous record by over 500 yards.

He would then follow it up the next year by posting the second-best Dolphins rushing season ever. After two great seasons in Miami, his next few years were marked by the aforementioned suspensions and retirement before finally returning for good in 2008, where he became the number two back behind Ronnie Brown in one of the league’s best running back tandems. In 2009, Williams would again cement himself as the lead back in Miami and would become the running back with the most time elapsed between 1,000-yard seasons as he finished with 1121. Despite the ups and downs, Williams is second on the Dolphins’ all-time rushing yards and touchdowns list, behind Larry Csonka.

• #9 Patrick Surtain

Now known as the father of arguably the best current cornerback in the NFL, but Surtain Sr. was very good on his own. Surtain was a member of the Dolphins for seven seasons and managed to record 25 interceptions in the 2000s as an integral part of a strong Miami defense. Surtain was a Pro Bowl player in each of his last three seasons in Miami, which included earning two All-Pro selections. Following the 2005 season, he was traded for a second and fifth-round pick to Kansas City, which then signed him to a contract that made him the third-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. In 2015, he was selected as a member of the 50 greatest Dolphins by the organization. He would return to the organization in 2022 as a coach in the Dolphins’ secondary before departing for Florida State in 2023.

• #8 Mike Pouncey

The 15th overall selection in the 2011 Draft proved to be among Miami’s best draft picks of the century as he became a key core of the 2010s Dolphins. Pouncey started 93 games for Miami despite ongoing hip issues that derailed his career pretty early on, but he was always among the league’s best centers whenever he was out on the field. He was the lone survivor of the Dolphins bullygate scandal and would continue to earn Pro Bowl honors after that incident. Many Dolphins fans remember Jay Ajayi’s excellent 2016, but few remember how pivotal Mike Pouncey was in that. In the five games Pouncey played in that year, Ajayi averaged 130 yards on six yards per carry; following Pouncey’s injury, Ajayi would average 78.1 on 4.1 yards per carry. That’s how much of a difference maker Pouncey was. He’s the best center the Dolphins have had this century and the second-best offensive lineman, surpassed only by…

• #7 Jake Long

Few Dolphin players ever have started their careers as Long did, earning Pro Bowl honors in his first four NFL seasons and two All-Pro selections. There is no doubt that Long started his career on a Hall of Fame pace as he’d cemented his place as the league’s best offensive tackle in his third season. Unfortunately for Long, the decline would occur soon after as his final two years in Miami weren’t as dominant as his first three. In spite of this, Miami tried to keep him around when he entered free agency following his rookie contract, but Long opted for a move to the Rams where he would struggle to regain his past form. His career would ultimately end up being derailed by injuries, but that doesn’t diminish the fact he was a great player for Miami. The only other tackle in football who was a contemporary of Long, who made four Pro Bowls in their first five seasons, was Joe Thomas, a surefire Hall-of-Fame inductee whenever he’ll be eligible. The most recent Dolphins #1 overall pick won’t sniff the Hall, so he’ll have to settle for being the seventh best Dolphin since 2000.

• #6 Xavien Howard

Howard was selected by Miami in the 2nd round of the 2016 Draft and was quickly thrust into the spotlight as his first game as the Dolphins #1 cornerback came in week four of that season in prime time against the Bengals, who featured AJ Green in his prime. Green would go for 173 yards and a touchdown, giving Howard all sorts of trouble in what was truly a “welcome to the league” moment for the rookie. Fortunately, Howard bounced back and by 2018 had cemented himself as one of the league’s best ball-hawks as he led the league in interceptions. His best season occurred in 2020 as he once again led the league in interceptions, this time with ten and finishing third in defensive player of the year voting. Howard would finish his Dolphins career with four Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro selections. We last saw Howard in 2023 against Baltimore in a game where he was carted off due to an injury, and Miami released him following the year. While he hasn’t retired, he has not played a snap since.