Who Can Lead the Dolphins’ Special Teams Turnaround?
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
“Nobody cares about special teams,” might have been an in-vogue phrase in 2023, which featured a historically low amount of kick-off returns. But not anymore. With the new kickoff rules coming into effect this season, special teams are suddenly all the rage. So much so, that some coaches are now scheming up new play designs on kick returns for dual-threat quarterbacks such as Justin Fields and Taysom Hill.
While the Miami Dolphins do not have a flashy dual-threat quarterback worth talking about in that role, they do have some special teamers who are particularly interesting. Jason Sanders, Jake Bailey, and Braxton Berrios are the Dolphins main starters on special teams. (Blake Ferguson is the Phins’ long snapper, but since there are no stats available for snappers, we will not be continuing Blake Ferguson discourse any further. Sorry, Blake.) Heading into 2024, the Dolphins are pretty established on special teams, with Sanders and Bailey cemented as the starters without any competition at kicker or punter.
With all that continuity, it’s never a bad idea to conduct a performance review on the Dolphins’ special teamers from 2023. If special teams do indeed matter now more than ever, they could very well be the difference between Miami winning and losing close games. So how did the Phins do on special teams last year, and in what areas can they improve on this upcoming season?
Let’s start with kicker Jason Sanders, who is entering his seventh season with the Dolphins. Sanders was named First Team All-Pro in 2020, and subsequently earned himself a five-year, $22 million extension in 2021. Clearly, the Dolphins view him as an elite kicker, but do the stats still back that up? The short answer is yes. Last season, Jason Sanders was automatic on field goal attempts from short to medium-range, going 13-for-13 on field goal attempts from 39 yards or less.
Additionally, Sanders ranked 10th in the league in extra point percentage, drilling 98.3% of his PATs. Now, one area for improvement for him would be on longer-distance field goal attempts. In 2023, Sanders went just 11-for-15 on field goal attempts from 40-plus yards. For added context, Sanders went 6-for-8 inside the 50, and 5-for-7 on attempts from 50-plus yards out. While those numbers aren’t terrible by any means, Jason Sanders is the 12th-highest-paid kicker in the league, and you’d like to see a little more consistency on longer-distance attempts from a player of his caliber.
Next, there’s Bailey who is entering his 6th season in the NFL and his second year as the Dolphins’ punter. Similar to Sanders, Bailey also had a very successful 2020 season where he was named First Team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors. Bailey had signed a three-year, $9.1 million extension with the Patriots back in 2022, but was released just seven months into his deal after suffering a back injury and curiously being suspended “due, in part, to differing viewpoints on if Bailey was ready to return to game action.” The Dolphins signed Jake Bailey to a one-year, $1.23 million contract in March 2023 and gave him a two-year, $4.2 million extension this offseason.
Here’s the thing – Jake Bailey didn’t really deserve the extension based on his performance. Last year, he finished 29th in yards per punt (45.7), 25th in net yards per punt (40.7) and 16th in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line (37.7%). Bailey also had a career-high in touchbacks, with 87.5% of punts ruled as a touchback. Though, some of that may have to do with the league’s special teams rules in 2023, which disincentivized returners from… actually returning, instead calling for the fair catch or simply letting balls bounce into the end zone. Still, the Dolphins may have been better off bringing in some competition, or even releasing him outright. Miami may have over-emphasized continuity in this spot..
As for Miami’s return game, it’s led by Berrios who was signed at the exact same time as Bailey. Of the three main players, Berrios is the Dolphins’ biggest X-Factor on special teams. The big question with Braxton is: how much juice does he have as a returner? On one hand, Berrios possesses above-average agility, as he placed in the 85th percentile at the 3-cone dash and the 75th percentile at the 40-yard dash. in his Draft year (2018). He has also proven to be an efficient returner in the NFL, averaging 10.2 yards per punt return.
On the other hand, Berrios is a very diminutive player, at 5-foot-9 and 185 lbs. He also has yet to score a touchdown as a returner for the Dolphins, so he hasn’t shown himself to be an explosive playmaker. With the new UFL-style return rules, it’ll be interesting to see how Braxton adjusts, and how that impacts his overall efficiency. Regardless, it’s hard to expect Miami to extend him next offseason with the cheaper, younger, and more athletic Tahj Washington developing in the background.
Overall, Miami should feel very good about Sanders, not-so-good about Bailey, and be in wait-and-see mode with Berrios, who will be a complete unknown until we see him interacting with the NFL’s new rules. Essentially, it’s a giant mixed bag for the Dolphins on special teams, for better or worse.
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