Chris Tabor joined the Miami Dolphins as special teams coordinator in 2026. The 2026 season marks Tabor's 31st year of coaching and 18th in the NFL.

Chris Tabor joined the Miami Dolphins as special teams coordinator in 2026. The 2026 season marks Tabor's 31st year of coaching and 18th in the NFL.

Prior to joining the Dolphins, Tabor spent the 2025 season with Buffalo, where he helped the Bills rank fourth in kick return average (27.9) and eighth in field goal percentage (90.5%), despite having three different kickers. Buffalo also held opponents to 7.4 yards per punt return, the seventh-best mark in the league that season. Running back Ray Davis, who earned first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner, ranked seventh in the NFL with 943 kickoff return yards and was one of only six players in the league to return a kickoff for a touchdown. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky, who Buffalo signed in Week 5, pinned 47.4% of his punts (18 of 38) inside the 20, the seventh-best mark in the NFL in 2025.

Prior to Buffalo, Tabor spent two seasons (2022-23) as special teams coordinator with Carolina and served as interim head coach for the final six games of the 2023 season. In 2023, the Panthers ranked second in the NFL in yards per kickoff return (26.5) while holding opponents to 6.8 yards per punt return, the fifth-best mark in the league that year. In 2022, the Panthers also led the NFL and set a franchise record with four blocked field goals, while adding a blocked extra point.

Punter Johnny Hekker led the league in punts inside the 20 (39) in 2022, finishing third in net punt average (44.1) that year and ninth (43.0) in 2023. Kicker Eddy Pineiro ranked second in field goal percentage (94.3%) during Tabor's first season with the Panthers in 2022.

Tabor spent the previous four seasons (2018-21) in Chicago, where he served as special teams coordinator and coached a return specialist to the Pro Bowl in each of his four years with the Bears. Throughout his tenure in Chicago, Tabor's unit ranked fifth in yards per punt return (10.3) and tied for sixth in the NFL with four special teams touchdowns.

Wide receiver Jakeem Grant earned All Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a returner in 2021 after finishing third in the NFL in punt return average (11.9). In Week 13 vs. Green Bay, he returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown, the longest punt return score in Bears history at the time.

In 2020, running back Cordarrelle Patterson led the NFL in kick return yards (1,017) for a second-straight season, finished second in kick return average (29.1) and set a franchise record with a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in both 2019 and 2020 after also leading the league in 2019 in kick return yards (825) and ranking second in kick return average (29.5).

Kicker Cairo Santos also shined under Tabor in 2020, setting a new franchise record with 27 consecutive field goals. Meanwhile, running back Tarik Cohen was selected to the Pro Bowl as a returner after leading the NFL in punt return yards (411) in 2018.

Tabor led Cleveland's special teams unit from 2011 to 2017 as the Browns' special teams coordinator, helping the team rank consistently in the top 10 in various key categories. His unit was the only one in the NFL to have earned at least one AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award each season from 2011-2016.

In 2017, Cleveland ranked eighth in kick return average (22.6). Punter Britton Colquitt set the Browns net punting average record in consecutive seasons with 40.3 in 2016 and 40.6 in 2017.

In 2015, Tabor's unit ranked sixth in kick return average (25.4) and ninth in field goal percentage (87.5%). That year, kicker Travis Coons set an NFL record with 18 consecutive field goals to start his career, while punter Andy Lee set a franchise record in punt average with 46.7.

The Browns led the league in field goal percentage (93.5%) in 2012 and ranked eighth in kick return average (25.4). Kicker Phil Dawson and returner Joshua Cribbs both earned Pro Bowl nods that year. During Tabor's first year in Cleveland in 2011, the Browns ranked ninth in punt return average (11.4).

Before joining the Browns, Tabor spent three seasons (2008–10) with Chicago, where he served as an assistant special teams coach. During his first stint with the Bears, Tabor helped the team rank among the league's top units. Over that three-year span, Chicago ranked second in kick return average (25.1), fifth in yards per punt return (10.4) and seventh in field goal percentage (86.2%).

Prior to the NFL, Tabor spent two seasons at Western Michigan University (2006-07) serving as the running backs and special teams coach. He also spent four seasons at Utah State University (2002-05), where he spent three seasons as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach (2002-04) and one season (2005) as the running backs and special teams coach.

Tabor started his career at Central Methodist University, where he spent two seasons (1995-96) as offensive coordinator. He spent four seasons (1997-2000) at Missouri and was the head coach at Culver-Stockton College in 2001.

Tabor graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he played four seasons at quarterback.

The St. Joseph, Missouri, native earned a master's degree in education from Columbia (Mo.) College. Tabor and his wife, Nikki, have two daughters, Paityn and Lainey.