The Buffalo Bills continue to evolve their caching staff, hiring former Carolina Panthers special teams coordinator and interim head coach Chris Tabor as the Bills new special teams coordinator, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported.
Tabor will replace Matthew Smiley, who was let go February 9. Smiley had been part of Bills’ head coach McDermott’s staff since 2017 where he started as the assistant special teams coordinator, and was was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2021.
Tabor will need to vastly improve the Bills special teams units that ranked in the bottom of the NFL across multiple categories last season, including 28th in average kickoff return yards allowed (30.8), 26th in average kickoff return yardage (25.9). Multiple phases of the Bills’ kicking game struggled as the Bills tied for 24th in punting net average (40.9) while kicker Tyler Bass’ regressed finishing 26th in field goal percentage (24-for-29, 82.9%) and 32nd in extra point percentage (59-for-64, 92%). The Bills special teams units under Smiley also rated very poorly on Rick Gosselin and Bill Huber’s special teams rankings as the Bills finished 28th in 2023 and 27th in 2024.
Tabor brings excellent special teams experience to Buffalo, serving as an NFL special teams coach since 2008:
- 2008-2010 Chicago Bears assistant special teams coordinator
- 2011-2017 Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator
- 2018-2021 Chicago Bears special teams coordinator
- 2022-2023 Carolina Panthers special teams coach; promoted to interim head coach after taking over a 1-10 team with six weeks left in the season after the firing of Frank Reich
- 2024 did not coach in the NFL last season
Tabor units were well regarded, with NFLPA players rating him as the NFL’s No. 2 special teams coordinator in 2023.
In 2023 in Carolina, Gosselin rated Tabor’s special teams unit fourth best in the league based on based on returns, coverage, starting points, kicking, punting, points, penalties, takeaways, giveaways and blocks. The Panthers special teams also had impact plays with a league-high five punt blocks.
