The Miami Dolphins are hiring Chris Tabor as their new special teams coordinator, as per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Tabor has worked in some capacity in special teams in the NFL since 2008. Most recently, he spent the 2025 NFL season as the special teams coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.
Following head coach Sean McDermott’s firing from the Buffalo Bills, Tabor is the first coordinator to seek greener pastures. It’s worth nothing that Tabor is well respected around the league, and even has head coach experience as interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He was also voted as the 2nd-best special teams coach in the league that same year, as per the NFL Player’s Association.
The Dolphins have certainly struggled on special teams in the past, with Craig Aukerman taking over from Danny Crossman last season. After six consecutive seasons outside the Top-15 under Crossman (as per Pro Football Focus), the Dolphins were slightly better in 2025.
More specifically, the Dolphins ranked 21st in field goals made (27), 4th in field-goal percentage (93.1%), allowed zero kickoff return touchdowns, and blocked two field goals (tied for most in the league). However, the Dolphins also allowed five returns of 40 or more yards on kickoffs, ranking 26th in the league.
Luckily, Tabor has experience turning around special teams units. According the Buffalo Bills’ media guide, Tabor “engineered a significant turnaround in his first season”, as he helped the Panthers go from 28th to 4th in Rick Gosselin’s league-wide special teams rankings.
Tabor is the first coordinator to be announced as part of new head coach Jeff Hafley’s staff, as Miami’s offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator have not yet been announced.
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