One of the biggest strokes of luck for the Miami Dolphins organization came in 1983 when the team saw quarterback Dan Marino tumble to the 27th-overall pick in the draft. From there, the rest was history. The Dolphins quarterback re-wrote the record book for NFL passing in a single season and career by the time he called it quits in early 2000. For 17 years, Marino served as a staple for the Dolphins and kept the team consistently in the forefront of the league.
That 1983 quarterback class is stuff of legends, too. Between John Elway, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge, Ken O’Brien and Marino, six total quarterbacks went in the first round. Half would go on to become NFL Hall of Famers. And the Dolphins somehow managed to pick the best passer of the bunch despite picking at 27th overall. Marino’s tumble was aided by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers passing on him and the New York Jets instead deciding to draft O’Brien just three slots ahead of Miami.
One of the teams involved in the quarterback market that year was the Dallas Cowboys, who were coming off a 6-3 strike shortened season in 1982 under the direction of legendary coach Tom Landry. Dallas, who picked 23rd in that legendary draft, featured Danny White at quarterback. How close was Marino to becoming a Dallas Cowboy? Hall of Fame scout and Cowboys legend Gil Brandt shed some light on how close Miami was to getting Marino snatched out from their grasp back in 1983.
This is how we had the 1983 QB class ranked overall and where they were drafted. pic.twitter.com/GkaOLDM6z1
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 7, 2020
Thankfully, Dallas was “Elway or bust” at quarterback. Brandt indicates that Dallas offered a sizable haul for Elway, but once that trade offer was declined, the team didn’t seem too keen on moving to the next quarterback in line, who would have been Dan Marino. Dallas, picking 23rd and clearly interested in a quarterback, had their QB2 and 9th-overall player in Dan Marino sitting on the board at the end of the first round. They passed on him.
And then Marino passed for 420 touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins.