The Miami Dolphins are bringing a familiar name back into the AFC East.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Miami has agreed to hire Chris Tabor as its new special teams coordinator, making it an in-division move after his most recent stop with the Buffalo Bills. For Browns fans, the hire is notable because Tabor previously spent several seasons in Cleveland as the team’s special teams coordinator during one of the more turbulent stretches in franchise history.
“Source: Dolphins are hiring former Bills special teams coordinator Chris Tabor as their special teams coordinator. An in-division move,” Schefter wrote.
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
Tabor worked with the Browns from 2011 through 2017, serving as special teams coordinator under multiple coaching staffs. During that span, he became one of the longest-tenured assistants on the coaching side as the organization cycled through head coaches, front offices, and roster overhauls. While Cleveland struggled overall during those seasons, Tabor’s units were often viewed internally as steady despite the constant turnover around them.
His coaching résumé stretches back more than three decades and includes experience at nearly every level of football. Tabor began his career in the early 1990s at the high school and college levels before moving into the NFL with the Chicago Bears as an assistant special teams coach in 2008. He later returned to Chicago as special teams coordinator from 2018 to 2020, then held the same role with the Carolina Panthers, including a stint as interim head coach in 2023. Most recently, he served as Buffalo’s special teams coordinator during the 2025 season.
From Cleveland’s perspective, the move is another reminder of how many former Browns coaches and executives are scattered throughout the league. Tabor now joins a growing list of familiar faces who have landed elsewhere, including former head coaches, coordinators, and front-office personnel. His hiring does not directly impact the Browns’ current coaching search, but it does highlight how interconnected NFL coaching circles remain.
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