Throughout the illustrious history of the Miami Dolphins franchise, there have been several teams within teams and specifically duos that have been fan favorites across the generations.

Whether it be the “Perfect Backfield,” the “Killer Bees” defense or the “Wildcats,” the Dolphins’ marketing department has always been busy. When dissecting a bit more, there have also been certain dynamic duos that have been ever popular in Miami fandom.

We can look at the “Marks Brothers,” Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the cornerback and now coaching tandem of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain and. of course, those Wildcat running backs, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.

When searching the field of football history in Miami, there have been few and far between popular and productive duos at the safety positions. Especially for a consistent period of time.

With current safeties Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones progressing as individual players, and gelling as a mid-secondary unit within a unit, the Dolphins may just have their most formidable pair of safeties since the Miami franchise ship set sail in 1966.

Looking back through the history of the position in South Florida, the Dolphins have had sparks of success with safeties and limited longevity with a consistent pair. Let’s talk about the top five Dolphins safety duos in team history.

5 - Yeremiah Bell and Reshad Jones

Jones was a fifth-round draft pick for Miami and a Dolphins lifer for his full 10-year career. Bell was a sixth-round pick in 2004 and took a few seasons to become an impact defender. It was in 2011, Jones’ second season and Bell’s last in Miami, when the duo was rather productive.

Jones recorded 67 combined tackles while Bell totaled 107, his fourth straight season of over 100. Each safety defended four passes and recorded an interception.

Bell was named a Pro Bowler in 2009, and Jones has a pair to his resume in 2015 and 2017. They mixed it up at each safety spot, and while Bell’s calling card was his hits, Jones had a nose for the endzone, scoring four times in his career.

4 - Brock Marion and Brian Walker

Differentiating from the previous dup, Marion and Walker were not home-grown drafted Dolphins. Walker went undrafted in 1996 and started his career in Washington. After a season in Miami in 1998, Walker went to Seattle for a year before returning to South Florida in 2000.

Marion was a free agent signing after his six solid seasons as a Dallas Cowboy, and he and Walker had a stellar 2000 season. Marion was a Pro Bowler and tallied 96 tackles, 11 passes defended and five interceptions.

Walker had perhaps one of the more unheralded yet outstanding seasons that year, intercepting seven passes on way to nine total passes defended and 96 tackles. Miami finished this season 11-5, and it was the last time they won a playoff game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime.

3 - Lyle and Glenn Blackwood - “The Bruise Brothers”

Here come the “Killer Bees.”

Beyond their ferocity, six of the 11 Dolphins defensive starters in 1982 had surnames beginning with “B.” This tenacious group led the league in the fewest yards allowed, and the Blackwoods were the anchors.

Playing in a time when their draft positions no longer exist in today’s NFL, elder brother Lyle was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the ninth round back in 1973. The Dolphins’ selection of younger brother Glenn came in the eighth round in 1979, and the brothers joined forces in 1981.

“The Bruise Brothers,” as they were called played in harmony together for six seasons in South Florida. Glenn is currently fourth on the all-time Dolphins interceptions list with 29, a number shared by Miami’s new secondary coach, Surtain. Lyle added 14 interceptions of his own, which gets him into the team’s top 20.

2 - Jarvis Williams and Louis Oliver

Jones and Holland were drafted in consecutive years, just one round apart. The same can be said about Williams and Oliver. While Jones was a 2020 third-round pick and Holland a 2021 second-round pick, the late 1980s saw a similar scenario at safety.

Miami selected Williams in the second round in 1988 and, a year later, spent a first-round pick on Louis Oliver. Both drafted as free safeties, Oliver was a mainstay there, moving Williams to the strong side.

From 1989-93, Williams and Oliver roamed the middle of the secondary. 1994 saw the end of this duo with Williams finishing his career with a one-year stop as a New York Giant, while Oliver took a year away in Cincinnati before a two-year return to South Florida.

The pair combined for 38 interceptions while in aqua and orange, and in their five seasons together, there were only 11 games total where they weren’t the Dolphins’ main duo in the middle of their defensive backfield.

1 - Dick Anderson and Jake Scott

The greatest safety tandem in the history of the Dolphins is essentially a no-brainer. Anderson and Scott are Dolphins royalty and are atop the franchise’s interception list. Scott sits on the throne with 35 picks, while Anderson is one off with 34.

Anderson was a third-round pick in 1968, just two years removed from Miami’s inception. Two seasons following Anderson’s rookie year, Scott was selected as a ninth-round pick.

Anderson immediately made an impact as a rookie, leading the NFL in interception yards with 230 after recording eight picks, including one of his three career touchdowns.

Scott started well out of the gates too, picking off five passes in his rookie season while starting every game. In 1971, the Dolphins’ first Super Bowl appearance year, Scott began a five-year Pro Bowl run, including being named All-Pro in 1973 and 1974.

Anderson was a Pro-Bowler for three straight seasons from 1972-74 while receiving All-Pro honors in the first two. Of course, three straight trips to the Super Bowl and two victories had a lot to do with the play of Scott and Anderson.

Scott was named Super Bowl VII’s Most Valuable Player, helping lock up a 1972 perfect season and immortalizing each player’s name in Miami’s prestigious and legendary Honor Roll.

Will Holland and Jones be the duo Miami fans have been waiting for? As it seems that once a decade, a pair of safeties come along in Miami, that spells danger for the rest of the league.

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