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Some Respect for Dolphins Special Teams

The Miami Dolphins rank in the bottom third of the ESPN Power Index, but they're closer to the top in the kicking game
Alain Poupart|
Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports

Outside expectations remain low for the Miami Dolphins, and it's reflected in ESPN's Power Index, which has them 27th overall.

The only teams ranked below the Dolphins are the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Dolphins rank pretty low when it comes to both offense and defense, but there's a lot of respect for their special teams based on this index.

The Dolphins are tied for seventh in the NFL, per ESPN's Power Index, with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

Each team got a score of 0.2, which represents "special teams contribution to expected point margin vs. average opponent on neutral field."

The Dolphins return both of their kicking specialists from last season with kicker Jason Sanders and punter Matt Haack, though there will be a new long-snapper in the form of rookie sixth-round pick Blake Ferguson out of LSU — the brother of Buffalo Bills snapper Reid Ferguson.

Sanders wasn't quite as accurate in 2019 as he was as a rookie in 2018 when he made 18 of 20 field goal attempts, but he did set a franchise record with seven field goals in the game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium in early December, one week after he and Haack combined on the first true punter-to-kicker touchdown pass in NFL history.

Haack, for his part, is heading into his fourth NFL season after he set career highs in 2019 with a gross average of 45.0 yards and a net of 41.1, with an impressive 23-to-2 ratio of inside the 20 to touchbacks.

The Dolphins also added some veteran special teams contributors in free agency when they signed Clayton Fejedelem from the Cincinnati Bengals, Kamu Grugier-Hill from the Philadelphia Eagles and Kavon Frazier from the Dallas Cowboys.

Back from last year's group will be tight end Durham Smythe, who was second on the team in special teams tackles with six.

Walt Aikens, who led the team with seven special teams tackles, remains unsigned as a free agent.

The draft brought a couple of prospects with special teams experience as well, most notably third-round pick Brandon Jones, the safety out of Texas.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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