When the news of Phillip Rivers' unretirement to make a comeback and play for the Indianapolis Colts broke, you couldn't help but laugh. Then you had to ask if there was anyone from the Miami Dolphins who would make an impact in 2026, if they opted to "unretire."
Rivers hasn't played since the 2020 season and is actually a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. If he remains on the Colts' practice squad, he will remain eligible; if he plays a single game, his eligibility will reset to five years.
Maybe this is what Richmond Webb should do. It would be nice to see his eligibility reset after all these years. In reality, though, is there a player who stands out from the last five seasons?
Dolphins rosters have been so bad that there isn't a retired savior that could hypothetically save the franchise
How far back would you have to go before finding a Dolphins draft pick that would be worthy of unretiring to give one more season to the Dolphins? Looking all the way back to Mike Pouncey in 2011, there aren't many players you would beg for, even if you got that player back in their prime.
We could run through players like Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, and Dan Marino, but none of them would be able to realistically step onto the playing field today. Rivers is actually doing that, at least onto the practice field.
Terron Armstead comes to mind as he only retired this past offseason, but do Dolphins fans really miss him? Patrick Paul has been exceptional this year. No, Armstead's leadership would be great, but the Dolphins need to fill holes.
Xavien Howard stands out, but he hasn't actually retired yet. He played four games for the Colts earlier this year. If Miami could get the Howard they had four years ago, the secondary would look pretty good.
Mike Pouncey retired in 2017, but imagine Pouncey coming out of retirement to play guard next to Aaron Brewer. Yeah, that would make the offense so much better and more physical. Still, it's hard to imagine Pouncey playing again.
Reshad Jones last played in 2019, so he isn't that far off from Rivers. Jones was, at one time, an exceptional safety. The Dolphins could use him in the deep secondary with Minkah Fitzpatrick.
No player on this list is realistic, but one player does stand out as someone who probably could suit up right now and make an impact on the roster. Yes, we are talking about Cam Wake.
Wake never actually retired, but he hasn't played since 2018. It's hard to believe it has been that long. Wake has shown up at some team functions and still looks like he could truck past an offensive tackle on his way to sacking a quarterback.
If only it were possible. I do like the Webb idea, if only for one game, to reset his HOF candidacy. He is long overdue to get in.