The Miami Dolphins are wasting no time reshaping their front office and coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Just days after their official introductions, the Dolphins have made two notable additions: Chris Tabor is coming aboard as special teams coordinator, while Kyle Smith joins the front office as assistant GM.
Tabor brings a wealth of experience to Miami, having spent over a decade coordinating special teams across the league. Most recently, he held the same role with the Buffalo Bills, and before that, he led special teams units in Carolina, Chicago, and Cleveland.
For Hafley, who steps into his first head coaching role after serving as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Tabor marks his first official hire - and it’s a savvy one. Special teams often fly under the radar, but they're a critical phase of the game, especially for a team looking to tighten the screws after an uneven 2023 campaign.
Miami's special teams had their moments last season - returner Malik Washington provided a spark - but the unit also struggled with penalties and discipline. One moment that stuck out was a roughing-the-punter penalty in Week 3 against Buffalo that proved costly. Tabor’s job will be to bring consistency and accountability to a group that needs both.
On the personnel side, Kyle Smith joins the Dolphins after five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where he most recently served as vice president of player personnel. Smith has steadily climbed the NFL executive ladder, and in Miami, he’ll play a key role in reshaping a roster that’s talented but financially tight. With the Dolphins entering the offseason roughly $23 million over the salary cap, Smith and Sullivan have their work cut out for them.
The challenge goes beyond just trimming salary - it’s about identifying the right core to build around while staying competitive. That means tough decisions are coming, and Smith’s scouting background and roster-building experience will be vital in navigating them.
Sullivan acknowledged the uphill battle ahead, but he's embracing it head-on.
“It’s not going to be an easy road, but I think the journey is well worth going on,” he said during Thursday’s press conference. “We will do it together and we will achieve together. When we get to the end of this thing and we hoist that trophy, we’ll realize that we started at the bottom, we fought our way to the top, and it will be one of the more special moments of all of our lives.”
There’s no sugarcoating it - the Dolphins have some heavy lifting ahead. But with Hafley, Sullivan, Tabor, and Smith now in place, Miami’s offseason blueprint is starting to take shape. The next few months will be telling, as this new regime begins putting its stamp on a team that has playoff aspirations and plenty of pieces - but also plenty of questions.