Draft and trades have historically been the Miami Dolphins‘ most effective way of talent acquisition, but they’ve had some luck in free agency, too.
Who’s the best of the best? We explore as we unveil the top five Dolphins free agents in franchise history.
Ranking the Greatest Free Agency Additions in Miami Dolphins History
5) Brent Grimes | 2013
The best signings are often the best values, and good luck finding many better values than the one-year, $5.5 million deal that Brent Grimes accepted from the Dolphins in the 2013 offseason.
There’s a reason he was so affordable. Grimes, a cornerback, tore his Achilles in 2012, and his agreed-upon price tag reflected concern in the market that he wouldn’t be the same player he was for the Atlanta Falcons his first seven seasons.
Grimes wasn’t the same player after joining the Dolphins. He was better. He made the Pro Bowl all three seasons he spent in Miami and was a second-team All-Pro in 2014. In all, Grimes earned $22.5 million in his three seasons with the Dolphins.
4) Garo Yepremian | 1970
A kicker? On this list?
Well, Garo Yepremian is no ordinary kicker. Sure, the indelible image of his nine-year stint with the Dolphins was his clownish attempt to pass after a blocked field goal in Super Bowl 7. But it would be a disservice to remember Yepremian just for that.
He made 165 field goals and 335 extra points in his Dolphins career, ranking second on the team’s all-time scoring list (830).
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Before signing with the Dolphins, Yepremian had stints with the Detroit Lions, the Michigan Arrows (of the Continental Football League), and even the U.S. Army. But he found the perfect fit in Miami.
Yepremian went on to make two All-Pro teams and was a member of the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team.
3) Cameron Wake | 2009
Cameron Wake has an origin story befitting a superhero. Before getting a shot with the Dolphins, he went undrafted out of Penn State and was a training camp cut by the New York Giants.
Out of football and running out of cash, Wake took a job at Bally Total Fitness while trying to get his career back on track. The persistence paid off. He got a shot in the Canadian Football League, and when he did, it became clear his weight-cleaning days were over.
Wake signed on with the Dolphins after winning his second of two CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Awards and immediately became a force on the NFL level.
During Wake’s 10 years with Miami, he totaled 98 sacks (still the second-most in franchise history) and made five Pro Bowls.
2) Bob Kuechenberg | 1970
Like Yepremian, Bob Kuechenberg spent some time in semi-pro football before joining a Dolphins franchise that would appear in three straight Super Bowls (winning two) in the 1970s.
It was far from certain a football career was in the cards after the fourth-round draft pick quit the Philadelphia Eagles after his rookie training camp. But the Dolphins gave the offensive lineman a second shot in 1970, and he made the most of it.
Kuechenberg was a critical piece of the team’s two Super Bowl championship teams, but his best work came later in his career. He was a six-time Pro Bowler in his 15 seasons with the Dolphins and earned a spot on the team’s Honor Roll.
1) Jim Langer | 1970
Jim Langer was the best player of the Dolphins’ incredible 1970 free agent class. The Cleveland Browns initially signed Langer as an undrafted rookie but cut him during his first training camp.
But the Dolphins saw something the Browns did not and signed the interior offensive lineman as a project after his release from Cleveland.
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Miami played the long game with Langer, and it proved to be the right move. After two years as a backup, Langer became the Dolphins’ starting center on the 1972 team.
He went on to make six straight Pro Bowls, was a member of the all-decade team in the 1970s, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
