Ex-Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas joined by UM greats Reggie Wayne, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson as Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists are announced

Former Miami Dolphins linebacking large Zach Thomas was named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for the 3rd consecutive year, and was joined by Miami Hurricanes legendary instrumentality antheral Devin Hester and wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson among the 15 players revealed to person made the penultimate cut.

Thomas and Wayne are each finalists for the 3rd time, portion Hester and Johnson are first-time eligible.

The people volition beryllium announced unrecorded connected the “NFL Honors” telecast scheduled to aerial astatine 9 p.m. ET connected Feb. 10, 3 days earlier Super Bowl successful Los Angeles.

Other finalists announced Thursday are linebacker DeMarcus Ware, besides eligible for the archetypal time, tackle Tony Boselli, antiaircraft lineman Richard Seymour, information Leroy Butler, wide receiver Torry Holt, linebacker Sam Mills, antiaircraft extremity Jared Allen, antiaircraft tackle Bryant Young, cornerback Ronde Barber, tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis.

Thomas was a five-time All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl subordinate with Miami, and helium looks to go the 14th erstwhile Dolphins subordinate to marque it to Canton, Ohio.

His standout vocation is akin to first-ballot Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who was enshrined successful 2017.

Thomas played successful 2 much games (184), had 1 much All-Pro honor, and 1 less Pro Bowl enactment than Urlacher, the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year erstwhile the Chicago Bears reached the Super Bowl.

Thomas finished his vocation with 1,734 full tackles, and his 1,107 solo tackles are much than immoderate different Hall of Fame linebacker too Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks. He besides had 17 vocation interceptions, 4 pickoffs for touchdowns, 8 fumble recoveries and 20.5 sacks with Miami.

A fifth-round prime retired of Texas Tech successful 1996, Thomas was inducted into the Dolphins Ring of Honor successful 2012. He was besides a subordinate of the 2000′s NFL All-Decade Team.

Ten different Dolphins greats are already enshrined successful the Hall of Fame: Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka, Jim Langer, Bob Griese, Larry Little, Don Shula, Dwight Stephenson, Nick Buoniconti, Dan Marino, and Jason Taylor.

Additionally, six different shorter-time erstwhile members of the Dolphins franchise — Jimmy Johnson, Junior Seau, Cris Carter, Thurman Thomas, Bobby Beathard and Bill Parcells — besides are enshrined.

The Miami Hurricanes could spot their Hall practice summation by 33% if Hester, Johnson and Wayne each are enshrined arsenic the assemblage has 9 Hall members: Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin, Edgerrin James, Jim Kelly, Cortez Kennedy, Ray Lewis, Jim Otto, Ed Reed and Warren Sapp.

A maximum of 5 modern-day players tin beryllium elected for enshrinement successful August .

Three others — Dick Vermeil successful the coaching category, Art McNally arsenic a contributor, and Cliff Branch arsenic a elder subordinate — besides are candidates for the people of 2022. Voting connected each of those 3 volition beryllium held individually.

Hester is the uncommon finalist who made his people mostly connected peculiar teams. He opened the 2007 Super Bowl successful Miami Gardens with a 92-yard kickoff instrumentality for a touchdown, the lone clip successful Super Bowl past that has occurred. An All-Pro 3 times, Hester was a subordinate of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s and 1 of 2 instrumentality specialists connected the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

Johnson, the different first-year eligible successful the last 15, doubly made the All-Pro squad during a beardown clip for wide receivers. He led the league successful receptions doubly (103 successful 2006 and 115 successful 2008) and successful receiving yards doubly (1,575 yards successful 2008 and 1,569 yards successful 2009). Johnson finished his vocation with 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 receiving touchdowns.

Two of his contemporaries, Holt and Wayne, besides are successful the finals. Holt was selected to NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s and won a Super Bowl with the 1999 Rams. Wayne retired arsenic NFL’s 2nd all-time starring receiver successful the postseason with 93 catches and won a Super Bowl with the Colts, the aforesaid crippled wherever Hester had his touchdown return.

Boselli has been portion of a beardown radical of violative linemen considered for the Hall of Fame successful caller years. Kevin Mawae, Steve Hutchinson and Alan Faneca preceded the erstwhile Jaguars prima into the hall. A three-time All-Pro, Boselli made the All-Decade Team of the 1990s contempt playing lone fractional the decade.

Like Boselli, Butler is successful his 16th twelvemonth of eligibility. The Packers’ hard-hitting safety, a four-time All-Pro who besides made the All-Decade Team of the 1990s, was among the astir versatile antiaircraft backs the crippled has seen.

The precocious Mills is nether information successful his 20th and last twelvemonth of eligibility arsenic a modern-day candidate. A three-time All-Pro who made his people initially successful the USFL, Mills past starred for the Saints and enlargement Panthers — helping Carolina to the NFC title crippled successful its 2nd season.

Ware, a four-time All-Pro, led the Cowboys successful sacks for 8 seasons, topped the NFL with 20 sacks successful 2008 and 15 1/2 successful 2010, and won a Super Bowl with Denver for the 2015 season. He finished with 138 1/2 sacks and made the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

Anderson was considered 1 of the elite close tackles successful the crippled for 13 pro seasons with Cincinnati and Baltimore, making 3 All-Pro squads.

Pass-rushing standout Allen was a four-time All-Pro who led the NFL successful sacks doubly (2007, 2011) portion playing for the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears and Panthers. The versatile Seymour, a three-time All-Pro selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s, played successful 4 Super Bowls for New England. Young was the 1999 Comeback Player of the Year and had 89 1/2 vocation sacks for San Francisco portion being voted to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

Young’s past play successful 2007 was the archetypal for Willis with the 49ers — and helium won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. A subordinate of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s, helium was a five-time All-Pro.

Barber was 1 of the league’s stingiest screen cornerbacks during his 26 seasons successful Tampa, wherever helium besides played immoderate safety. A cardinal to the Cover-2 antiaircraft scheme, Barber was a three-time All-Pro and a subordinate of NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He led the NFL with 10 interceptions successful 2001 and won a Super Bowl the adjacent season.

The Sun Sentinel’s Steve Svekis contributed to this report.