The Miami Dolphins are beefing up their coaching team by bringing back a familiar face, with Ronnie Bradford set to join as a senior special teams assistant. The former fourth-round pick in the 1993 draft, whose professional journey kicked off with the Dolphins, is returning to his roots after a long hiatus from the team. Bradford will fill the gap left by Brendan Farrell's departure, sliding into a role alongside Danny Crossman, the special teams coordinator returning for his fifth season.
After detouring through a 10-year playing career with teams like Denver, Arizona, Atlanta, and Minnesota, Bradford has made the transition to coaching with stints both in the NFL and college ranks. His last gig was running the defense as Montana's defensive coordinator, a position reported by the Sun Sentinel. Before, Bradford served on the defensive side with the Broncos and as a defensive assistant for the Chiefs.
There's a touch of serendipity in the hire – Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who began his career as an unpaid intern for the Broncos in 2005, had previously worked under Bradford when the newly recruited coach was special teams coordinator. While Bradford's NFL playing days never saw him suit up in a Dolphins jersey after drafting him, he became a recognizable figure on the field elsewhere, appearing in 133 games with 100 starts, laying claim to 13 interceptions, and even snagged two sacks and a touchdown to his name, according to records from Sports Illustrated.
With Bradford's arrival, the Dolphins are rounding out a 2024 coaching staff overhaul that boasts several fresh faces. Among the recruits are Joe Barry, taking the linebackers coach role; Ryan Crow, stepping up as outside linebackers coach; Brian Duker who will serve as secondary coach/pass game coordinator; and DeShawn Shead, whose role is yet to be pinned down. Ryan Slowik is also switching lanes, moving from outside linebackers coach to a secondary focus, a change that was dropped during defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver's introduction last week.
While the new hires signal ambitious moves for the Dolphins, excitement is tempered by the memory of recent special teams blunders, such as the costly long kick return in a December loss to the Ravens and a decisive punt return touchdown against the Bills. Nevertheless, improvements are noted, with the team's overall coverage sharpening through much of the season and performances like kicker Jason Sanders stepping up his game in 2023 – offerings of hope that Bradford and the retooled staff might just turn those special teams fumbles into touchdowns for the upcoming season.
