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Dolphins poached Buffalo’s special teams coach

On June 22, the Miami Dolphins had their introductory press conference for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley. Both men seemed to be aligned with their ideology as they seek to build a tough football team in Miami. Following their joint press conference, the pair will begin to make some tough choices for the Dolphins.

For head coach Jeff Hafley, the first task ahead is assembling a coaching staff. Hafley arrived in Miami after a two-year stint with the Packers as their defensive coordinator. That means he carries a defensive background, and will likely want to bring his own personnel whom he trusts to run his scheme. As a result, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who may land a head coaching job,is unlikely to return to the Dolphins in his current role.

Now, the Dolphins have added the first member of their new coaching staff, and he comes directly from a division rival.

Dolphins Hire Special Teams Coach

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Miami Dolphins are hiring Chris Tabor as their new special teams coach. He previously served in that same role with the Buffalo Bills, but Tabor opted to leave Buffalo as they currently have a head coaching vacancy. The Dolphins will become the fifth team where Tabor has served as the special teams coordinator. Prior to spending the 2025 season with the Bills, he had that role with the Panthers for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. 

Additionally, Tabor has some brief experience as a head coach, as he served as the Panthers interim head coach in 2023 for six games when they fired Frank Reich. He also held the interim head coach title for one game with the Bears as head coach Matt Nagy was unavailable due to COVID-19. He’ll succeed Craig Aukerman in Miami, who was the special teams coordinator with the Dolphins in 2025.

Miami’s special teams had an up-and-down year. Malik Washington had a strong year as a returner, which included a punt-return touchdown against New England. Unfortunately the unit had notable mishaps. They surrendered a game-winning kickoff return touchdown to the Patriots, had a penalty on a Bills punt that allowed them to take a late-lead, and allowed an onside kick conversion against the Saints which nearly cost them the game.

Dolphins Special Teams Decision

Perhaps Tabor’s biggest decision will be the Dolphins’ kicker. The Dolphins have under contract Jason Sanders. However, he missed the entire 2025 season with a hip injury. The former All-Pro kicker has a $4.5 million cap hit in the 2026 season. Sanders was replaced by free-agent kicker Riley Patterson in the 2025 season, where Patterson broke Sanders’ made field goal percentage franchise record. 

Patterson went 27-of-29 in his field goal attempts; however, he attempted only four kicks of 50 yards or more. His season-long was a 54-yard field goal, which was a new career high for him. Meanwhile, Sanders has a propensity for long-distance kicks. In the 2024 season, Sanders went 12-of-14 in kicks of over 50 yards, including a 57-yard field goal. 

Additionally, punter Jake Bailey had his finest season in Miami, but he’s set to hit free agency in March.

Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer

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