Both Taylor and Urlacher were first-choice candidates for the Hall of Fame.
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Zach Thomas is in the Hall of Fame. The former Miami Dolphins star was announced Thursday night as one of his members of the Class of 2023 on his NFL Honors show (TV by NFL Network, NBC, and Peacock). Thomas was selected alongside cornerback Darrell Revis, tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker/defensive end DeMarcus Ware, and defensive back Rondo Barber. Thomas is his fourth straight finalist in Texas in 1996. He played 12 seasons with the Dolphins after arriving as his fifth-round pick from Tech. He was one of 15 finalists. Other finalists were DE Jared Allen, OT Willie Anderson, DE Dwight Freeney, PR/KR Devin Hester, WR Torrey Holt, WR Andre Johnson, CB Albert Lewis, WR Reggie Wayne, LB Patrick Willis, and DB Darren Woodson. Freeney, Revis, and Joe Thomas were all in their first year of qualification.
The selection committee may select up to five Modern Age players for the 2023 class. Each had to win 80 percent or more of the yes votes to be elected. Senior category finalists Chuck Howery, Joe Klecco, Ken Riley, and coach/contributor finalist Don Coryell are also candidates for the 2023 class. Players of the era were selected and all four were selected.
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Other finalists were DE Jared Allen, OT Willie Anderson, DE Dwight Freeney, PR/KR Devin Hester, WR Torrey Holt, WR Andre Johnson, CB Albert Lewis, WR Reggie Wayne, LB Patrick Willis, and DB Darren Woodson. Freeney, Revis, and Joe Thomas were all in their first year of qualification.
The selection committee may select up to five Modern Age players for the 2023 class. Each had to win 80 percent or more of the yes votes to be elected. Senior category finalists Chuck Howery, Joe Klecco, Ken Riley, and coach/contributor finalist Don Coryell are also candidates for the 2023 class. Players of the era were selected and all four were selected.
Thomas, along with Jason Taylor, the other half of the Dolphins’ dynamic defense from the 2000s on his duo, was inducted into the Dolphins He Honors role in 2012. It says here that Thomas was as important as Taylor to the success of the Dolphins’ dominant defense in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Thomas is also as valuable as Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, another middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, and both players have had very similar stats throughout their careers. Both Taylor and Urlacher were first-choice candidates for the Hall of Fame. Perhaps the only reason Thomas didn’t look like a Hall of Famer was that he wasn’t as athletic as Taylor. Urrach. But he’s just as effective and productive and is in the Hall of Fame alongside Taylor and Urlacher. In his 168 games with the Dolphins, Thomas averaged 9.7 tackles from the start, according to pro-football-reference.com. That’s an average of 155 for every 16 games.
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