A brand-new season of Dolphins football is around the corner and we're getting you ready for the start of training camp! Today, we wrap up our positional preview with the special teams unit.
Specialists
A room that established some continuity over the past few years is undergoing change in 2025. First, however, the longest-tenured player on the roster was one of the best kickers in the NFL in 2024. Kicker Jason Sanders, a seventh-round pick in 2018, is a former first-team All-Pro with countless game winners and clutch kicks from beyond 50-yards, including the playoff clincher vs. Dallas in 2023, a buzzer-beater against the Jaguars and an overtime winner over the Jets last season. He also booted Miami to victory with five field goals each in the wins over the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers last year. Sanders made history in 2024, setting various records and becoming the fourth player in NFL history to earn Special Teams Player of the Month honors in back-to-back occasions within the same season.
The Cast (in numerical order):
- 7 Jason Sanders
- 16 Jake Bailey
- 49 Ryan Stonehouse
- 67 Joe Cardona
For the first time since 2018, there's a new Special Teams Coordinator in Miami. Craig Auckerman was with the Titans from 2017-2023 after four years with the Chargers.
There's also a new long-snapper to open camp for the first time since 2019. The Dolphins shuffled in multiple men for the job last season with Blake Ferguson on the reserve/non-football illness list from Week 6 to the end of the season. Now, veteran Joe Cardona has entered the picture. Cardona has played in 160 career games in his 10-year NFL career, all with New England.
Incumbent punter Jake Bailey and newcomer Ryan Stonehouse will battle it out during training camp.
Last year, Bailey had 56 punts for 2,639 yards (47.1 gross avg. / 40.5 net avg.), with 22 punts landing inside the 20. His gross punt average of 47.1 yards in 2024 was the fifth-best mark in a season in Dolphins history. In his two seasons with Miami, Bailey has averaged 40.6 yards of net punting, which is the best mark in franchise history among Dolphins punters with at least 100 punts.
Stonehouse has a rocket of a leg. As a rookie, he broke the NFL record with a 53.1 punting average. He followed up that performance in 2023 by posting the exact same statistic (53.1 yards per punt). Stonehouse finished more than two yards clear of the second-place punter each of those years. His 2023 season came to an end when a rusher collided with his kicking leg. Stonehouse was back in the saddle for the 2024 season kicking in all 17 games. He finished third in punting average at 50.6 yards per boot.
The Dolphins will be back on the field later this week, and you can be in the stands at the Baptist Health Training Complex starting Saturday, July 26. Parking and admission are free, but tickets must be reserved. Learn more here.
