The 10 best cornerbacks in the history of the Miami Dolphins

If there is one position the Miami Dolphins have done well with, it is cornerback. Throughout the team's history, the corner has often dominated the offseason and the season itself. Only a few times since the Dolphins have been in the NFL has there not been at least one corner on the roster that could be considered far better than average.

Corner has played a pivotal role in the success of the Dolphins. From the early 1970s and the Super Bowl years, to the Dan Marino years and even the Jay Fiedler seasons, the Dolphins have relied on their secondary to drive and empower the defense. Miami has, more often than not, put more emphasis on good cornerback play than they have linebackers. Still, for as good as the Dolphins corners have been throughout history, none of them are in the Hall of Fame, and none are in the team's Ring of Honor either.

Criteria for selection

Naturally, interceptions and pass breakups are important metrics for measuring a cornerback's success. So are tackles and run support, but in most cases, the best cornerbacks are the players who don't see many opportunities to break up passes because opposing teams look to the other side of the field. For the purpose of this historical look, we took that into consideration as well.

Longevity is also a key to which players are on a list or narrowly miss one. We put more weight on a player who not only started and made interceptions, but was good enough to warrant a longer career than a player who may have had quick success and then flamed out early. Leadership was also considered for this list and we looked at several players for position and rank based on how they carried the players around them and what they meant to the building of team success. What we didn't consider for this list are specific key moments and clutch performances, but instead focused more on the totality of their career with the Dolphins. If two players had similar situations, only then would a clutch performance come into play.

The Top 10 cornerbacks in Miami Dolphins history

10. Vontae Davis

Sadly, Vontae Davis passed away at a far too early age in 2024. The former first-round draft pick of Miami spent three seasons with the Dolphins before he was traded to the Colts. The event played out on television during the HBO series Hard Knocks. Davis was portrayed as being a little lax and careless in his approach to training prior to his trade.

As a member of the Dolphins, Davis was a quality cornerback who played both on the left and right sides of the outer boundary. He posted nine interceptions for 124 yards and one touchdown. In total he registered 28 passes defended and 149 total combined tackles. He would make the Pro Bowl twice in his career, but both came while he was with the Colts. In 2018, David opted to quit football while with the Bills and left the locker room during halftime of a game.

9. Tim Foley

Tim Foley is the one player on this list with the longest playing career with the Dolphins. Drafted in Round 3 of the 1970 draft, Foley played only for Miami and split time as a safety and a cornerback. He spent 11 seasons in the NFL, all with Miami, and made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 1979, a year before his final season.

When Foley called it quits, he had started 110 of 134 games and posted 22 interceptions for 96 yards. He added eight fumble recoveries during a time when most defensive statistics were not kept. Overall, Foley contributed to the Dolphins three Super Bowls including the perfect season of 1972 and was consistently reliable on a team filled with talent.

8. Curtis Johnson

Another player with a long history of play. Curtis Johnson came into the NFL in 1970 and played his entire nine-year career in South Florida. Through those nine seasons, Johnson put up 22 interceptions for 190 yards and added eight fumble recoveries to his resume as well. He started 113 of 125 games that he appeared in.

Johnson is often a forgotten part of Dolphins history, but he shouldn't be. He and Foley made up a strong duo on the boundaries, with Johnson playing on the right side and Foley playing on the left more often than not. Between the two, Miami's corner duo was able to get the team to three consecutive Super Bowls.

7. Terrell Buckley

Terrell Buckley was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1992. In 1995, he joined the Dolphins as part of the NFL's updated free agency system. Buckley spent five seasons with the Dolphins. Statistically, Buckley was one of the better cornerbacks in Dolphins history as his stats show. In his five years, Buckley posted 24 interceptions, six forced fumbles, 310 combined tackles, one sack, three touchdowns, and 10 fumble recoveries.

Buckley was brought to the Dolphins by Don Shula, and he played only one season with the Hall of Fame coach before Jimmy Johnson took over in the 1996 season. In his first season with Johnson as head coach, Buckley put up 164 yards in interception return yards and had his second-highest interception total, six, for the 1996 season. Buckley would leave the Dolphins in 1999, but would return in 2003 for another season. He left the NFL for good after the 2005 season.

6. Brent Grimes

The most impressive part of Brent Grimes' career in Miami was his athleticism. Nothing about Grimes would have made anyone believe he was an NFL football player, let alone one of the better corners in the NFL. Grimes defied a lot of odds, from a more diminutive size to not being drafted. He signed a UDFA contract with the Falcons in 2007 and would join the Dolphins in 2013. In his three seasons with Miami, Grimes made the Pro Bowl all three times. He made four total in his career.

The Dolphins got spectacular play from Grimes including one-handed interceptions and one specific interception against the Lions in 2014 outstretching backwards with one hand. Grimes finished his career in Miami with 13 interceptions and two touchdowns, 166 combined tackles, and he started every game he played in.

5. Troy Vincent

Troy Vincent is a former first-round draft pick who immediately made an impact on the Dolphins roster. He played from 1992 until 2006, but only four of those seasons were with the Dolphins. Vincent was one of the first players to take advantage of the NFL free agency rules and left the Dolphins for the Eagles, where he spent the majority of his career. Eventually, he would take on a significant role as an NFL executive.

With the Dolphins, Vincent was a hard-hitting physical cornerback who played even bigger. He started 55 of 57 games and contributed 14 interceptions and two touchdowns. He added six fumble recoveries to his resume to go along with the 259 tackles. Vincent made his name in Philadelphia, but he cut his NFL teeth in Miami and was a leader on the team while he was there.

4. Jalen Ramsey

Jalen Ramsey has spent only half a season with the Dolphins, but his impact on the roster is already clear. He emerged as a defensive leader immediately after joining the team, and when he was injured on the first day of the 2023 training camp, Ramsey stuck around the practices and helped the younger players.

When he returned to the field, he contributed three interceptions in 10 games, five passes defended, and 22 tackles. Opposing teams did not often throw toward him. Ramsey cemented his position with the Dolphins immediately upon his return with two interceptions. Ramsey may be a controversial pick for third on the Dolphins all-time list, but he is clearly a much better cornerback than those before him, and if he remains on the Dolphins roster for the next few years, he will most certainly solidify his spot.

3. Xavien Howard

Xavien Howard has been one of the most productive and incredible cornerbacks in Dolphins history, but his game quickly deteriorated, dropping him to third on our list. His injury history also came into play here. Howard spent eight seasons with the Dolphins, making four Pro Bowls and being named an AP First Team All-Pro once.

Howard finished his time in Miami with 29 interceptions, two touchdowns, 331 combined tackles, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and two sacks. When he was healthy, Howard was one of the best players on the field and, for several years, clearly the best player on the defensive side of the ball. Howard's downfall was off-field issues and a lack of leadership in the locker room. For Howard, it wasn't about being selfish, but he never truly embraced a leadership role.

2. Patrick Surtain

Patrick Surtain was drafted by Jimmy Johnson in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft, but he didn't pay off immediately. He didn't start a single game during his rookie season. In limited action, Surtain posted two interceptions and 28 tackles. Then, halfway through his second year, he took over the starting job. Surtain would start every game he appeared in moving forward and would form one of the absolute best CB tandems in Dolphins history alongside Sam Madison.

Surtain played seven seasons for the Dolphins, was named a First Team All-Pro in 2002, and was a Pro Bowl corner each of the 2002, 2003, and 2004 seasons. He was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, and it was not an amicable parting. It took years for Surtain to make his way back to the Dolphins and let his anger dissipate.

The trade brought Miami a second-round draft pick in 2005 and it broke up the Dolphins best CB duo. The move was one of the first made by new head coach Nick Saban. Surtain finished his Dolphins career, with 29 interceptions, two touchdowns, 77 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 353 tackles, and 6.5 sacks.

1. Sam Madison

Sam Madison is widely considered to be one of the top two cornerbacks in Dolphins history with Patrick Surtain sometimes jumping ahead. Madison is the top cornerback in Dolphins history in terms of interceptions. He posted 31 in his career, three behind safety Dick Anderson and four behind safety Jake Scott.

Madison's career in Miami was impressive with four consecutive Pro Bowls and two consecutive First-Team All Pro honors. He started 154 of 173 games. He had two touchdowns, two sacks, 366 combined tackles and 77 passes defended. In addition, he forced nine fumbles and recovered four.

Madison was a shutdown corner who Dolphins fans loved. Despite leaving the team in 2006 for the New York Giants, Madison always maintained his relationship with Miami.

The 10 best cornerbacks in Miami Dolphins history by interceptions