The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 25 semifinalists for the class of 2025. Among them, seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Richmond Webb.
"Richmond Webb should be in the Hall of Fame."
Dan Marino didn't mince his words on his 2023 appearance on The Fish Tank podcast; and he would know. The legendary gunslinger held the lowest sack percentage in the league 10 times during his 17-year career with Webb as his blindside protector for the entirety of the 1990's (164 games).
A first-round pick in 1990 out of Texas A&M, Webb was an immediate hit. He allowed just two sacks his rookie season and would go on to start all but one of his 164 games with the Dolphins, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of his first seven seasons. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro (1992, 1994) and two-time second-team All-Pro (1993, 1995) selection with the Dolphins.
After two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals to close his career, Webb signed a one-day contract with the Dolphins to retire with the team that drafted him. On Christmas night, 2006, Webb was inducted into the Dolphins Ring of Honor, becoming the 17th member of that illustrious club.
Now, Webb's sights are set on Canton, and he has the resume to support the surge. His seven straight Pro Bowls are a franchise record and his 118 consecutive starts are second in Dolphins history, behind only Jason Taylor (130) is who was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Webb was named to the NFL 1990's All-Decade Team. The matchups he had with arguably the greatest pass rusher in the history of the NFL, Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith, were must-see television twice a year.
Webb's number one job was to keep Smith off No. 13. In 18 matchups with Webb, Smith sacked Marino just 11 times. Smith ended his career with 200 sacks in 279 games, and the .61 sacks per game against Miami was the lowest rate for Smith against any team that he saw twice a year (AFC East rivals New York Jets, New England and Indianapolis).
"Webb has the perfect stature for an offensive tackle," Smith said of Webb back in 1999. "He's in an elite category as far as offensive linemen are concerned.
The next step in the modern-era players category is reducing the list down to 15 finalists in December. Eventually, 20 finalists (15 modern-era players, three seniors, one coach and one contributor), will be presented at the Selection Committee's annual meeting next year ahead of Super Bowl LIX, where the committee will select four to eight members for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
