The Dolphins Are Ready To Stop the Bleeding On Special Teams
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Football is a three-phase game, and while the offense and defense soak up most of the 60 minutes, as well as the attention, special teams remain a critical part of any NFL team. That third unit was troublesome for the Miami Dolphins in 2023, especially from a coverage standpoint.
In fact, Miami had the worst kickoff return coverage in the league last season, surrendering an average of over 30 yards per return. For context, the average kickoff return went for approximately 23 yards during 2023. In punting coverage, the Dolphins weren’t much better, allowing around 12 yards per return. This also ranked in the NFL’s bottom five.
It’s no surprise then that, according to Rick Gosselin’s special team analysis, Miami also ranked dead last in terms of their opponent’s average starting field position. The typical drive against the Dolphins started at the 27-yard line.
What happened for things to go this poorly? There are many potential factors, such as personnel, scheming, or simply poor tackling and execution. Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman has been on Miami’s staff since 2019. Previously, he spent six seasons in the same role with the Buffalo Bills. Crossman had better overall success with his units in Buffalo, and he’s bringing in an old friend to get some of that Bills magic to Miami.
Cornerback Siran Neal played for Crossman in Buffalo as a rookie in 2018. Since entering the league, Neal has made a name for himself as a gunner. He is coming off a strong season in 2023, where he was one of the NFL’s best tacklers and coverage players on special teams.
Neal has 53 special teams tackles over his career, which ranks 12th in the league since 2018. He has also forced three fumbles on special teams, which leads the NFL during that same timeframe. When it came to downing punts, Neal led Buffalo last season with four, a figure that would have been first in Miami. He sat atop the Bills’ leaderboard in special teams tackles in 2023, yet another statistic where he out-paced any Dolphin.
Thanks in part to Neal’s special skills on special teams, Buffalo’s punt coverage unit had the highest percentage of punt returns that were five yards or fewer (52.6%, per OptaStats). His arrival takes a lot of pressure off safety Elijah Campbell, who has spent the last three seasons as the sole Dolphin you could call a special teams ace. Now that these two gunners have teamed up, Crossman has much more talent at his disposal for his coverage unit, and this can be a difference-maker. Or at least, it should help clean up the mistakes that allowed opponents to score on both a kickoff and punt return last season.
Neal, who also projects an air of confidence that his teammates respond to, could also bring a tougher, grittier mindset to the Dolphins’ coverage units. Should Neal continue his trajectory as a top special teams ace, he could be a valuable addition to a Phins team that is very close to being a Super Bowl contender. The difference between the average starting drive for the Detroit Lions’ opponents (the 24-yard line, best in the NFL) and Miami’s opponents (27) feels very small. But in the NFL, every yard counts, and making teams earn an extra three yards could be the difference between a touchdown, settling for a field goal, or punting.
Especially over the course of a game. The average team gets 11 possessions each Sunday, meaning that compared to the best special teams units, the Dolphins are surrendering an extra 33 yards per game before their opponents even call a play. Over 17 games, we’re talking about nearly 600 yards.
Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so ridiculous that the little things like field position, downing punts, and executing the first tackle on returns can separate this team from their AFC peers.
The Dolphins are powered by Mike McDaniel’s top-tier offense and possess a talented defense with a smart, up-and-coming coordinator in Anthony Weaver. If Crossman can exorcize his past demons during his tenure with the Dolphins, getting better results in the special teams phase of the game could propel them to the playoffs, and perhaps even that postseason victory the franchise has been waiting 24 years to secure.
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