Once Jeff Hafley was officially hired as the Miami Dolphins head coach, immediate thoughts began as to who he would bring on as part of his coaching staff. While we still wait to see who will be the offensive and defensive coordinators, Hafley has decided on a special teams coordinator.
The Dolphins have signed Chris Tabor, formerly the special teams coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, to the same role for 2026. After an underwhelming season with Craig Aukerman, Tabor brings 15+ years of coaching experience to Miami, particularly excelling in special teams.
Source: Dolphins are hiring former Bills special teams coordinator Chris Tabor as their special teams coordinator. An in-division move. pic.twitter.com/hwjXlSQfax
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 23, 2026
That's not all, though, as the Dolphins also added to their front office by hiring Kyle Smith, formerly the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, to the same role.
Miami Dolphins hire Kyle Smith as assistant GM and Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator
As mentioned, Tabor brings a ton of experience to the Dolphins, including some head coaching experience many fans were clamoring for. He was the interim head coach in 2023 for the Carolina Panthers after Frank Reich was fired. Tabor went just 1-5 in the final six games of the season and was not retained the following year, but his special teams were still well respected.
As mentioned, Tabor spent this past season with Buffalo as the ST coordinator. With Sean McDermott out as the Bills' head coach, though, Tabor was looking for new opportunities, and it didn't take long for him to land in South Florida.
Before his stints in Carolina and Buffalo, Tabor was also the special teams coordinator for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. His NFL coaching experience began with the Bears as an assistant special teams coach, during which he coached the electric Devin Hester.
This past season, the Bills were considered a middling team on special teams, but Tabor's units were ranked in the top 10 from 2020 to 2022 in Chicago. He now takes over the role for Aukerman, who was an upgrade over the abysmal Danny Crossman, but not much more than that.
Meanwhile, almost simultaneously, new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan hired Smith to be by his side as the assistant GM. Smith got his start in 2011 with Washington as a scout before working his way up to vice president of player personnel. He then joined Atlanta in the same role in 2021 before being promoted to assistant general manager in 2023.
Smith's role as assistant GM was handling draft strategy and player evaluation. In Miami, he is expected to have the same responsibilities. Before their search for a new general manager, the Dolphins made it clear they were looking for someone with a scouting background. Sullivan has that, and thus, his hire of Smith makes sense in the same regard.
Smith is the son of A.J. Smith, an NFL executive who spent time as the general manager of the then-San Diego Chargers from 2003-2012. The younger Smith is expected to bring draft expertise (which is something the Dolphins desperately need) and leadership. If he helps Miami to be successful in that regard, his name could be one to watch for a future GM role down the road.