10 most underrated Miami Dolphins of all time

By Staff | May 31, 2020

PALO ALTO, CA - JANUARY 20: Bruce Hardy #84 of the Miami Dolphins runs with the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XIX on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 38-16. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

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Trace Armstrong #93, Miami Dolphins (Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn/ALLSPORT) /

2. Trace Armstrong, DE

In 1995, the Miami Dolphins and Don Shula made a trade with the Chicago Bears sending a second and third-round draft pick to the Bears for pass-rushing defensive end Trace Armstrong.

Armstrong had played six seasons with the Bears before Miami made the move. He would play only six seasons with the Dolphins but make no mistake, his being in Miami was one of the catalysts for Jason Taylor’s career.

In 2000, Armstrong made his only Pro Bowl of his entire career. A career that spanned 15 seasons in the NFL. Yet it was in 1997 that Armstrong would start shaping the future of the Miami Dolphins defensive end position.

For four seasons Armstrong mentored Jason Taylor, a third-round future Hall of Fame defensive end that absorbed everything Armstrong laid out for him. In his HOF acceptance speech, Taylor gave praise to Armstrong for helping learn how to play in the NFL.

Taylor would eventually take that experience and pay the tutoring forward to a young kid from the CFL, Cameron Wake. From 1988 to 2018, the Dolphins have boasted some of the best pure DE talents in the NFL. Jeff Cross, Trace Armstrong, Jason Taylor, and Cameron Wake. It’s a shame that Miami missed so badly on Charles Harris.

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