Miami Dolphins at 50: Top 10 TEs
By Dan Heaning
Mandatory credit: MiamiDolphins.com
No. 4 – Anthony Fasano
When Bill Parcells took control over player personnel for the Miami Dolphins, he brought over a back-up tight end from the Dallas Cowboys, the last team Parcells had restored from perennial loser to playoff contender.
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That tight end was Anthony Fasano and he worked out fairly well. Miami acquired Fasano and linebacker Akin Ayodele for the 100th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. So while Parcells didn’t quite work the same magic he did with his past clubs, the trade gave Miami one of the best tight ends the organization has ever had.
In each of his five seasons as a Dolphin, Fasano posted 30 or more receptions and 300 or more receiving yards. In that time, Fasano only missed four games.
Fasano is third all-time among tight ends in receptions (177), receiving yards (2,104), and tied for second in touchdowns (23).
When Joe Philbin took over as head coach, Fasano posted his lowest yardage total during his time in Miami. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 and was cut this past February after being unable to match his totals as a Dolphin in Kansas City.
Mandatory credit: MiamiDolphins.com
No. 3 – Bruce Hardy
Bruce Hardy played 12 seasons with the Dolphins and is the second most productive tight end in the history of the franchise.
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He played in 151 games in the aqua and orange which is 40 more games than the second most experienced Dolphins tight end, Larry Seiple. Only Nat Moore played more games than Hardy on the all-time receiving list.
Drafted in the ninth round of the 1978 NFL Draft, Hardy would put up his best single season numbers when Dan Marino took over as the starting quarterback. After Marino’s first two seasons, Hardy would find a rapport with the Hall of Fame quarterback turning in two 400 plus yard seasons and catching 39 passes in 1985 and 54 in 1986.
Hardy is 17th in all-time receiving yards and second among tight ends (2,455) despite only catching more than 40 passes once, and never producing more than 450 receiving yards in a single season.
He’s 11th all-time and second amid tight ends in receptions (256). However, Hardy is seventh all-time and first amongst tight ends in touchdown receptions (25).
His consistency and longevity earn him the number three spot on this list.