Miami Dolphins add one of their former draft picks to their coaching staff

The Miami Dolphins and Ronnie Bradshaw are together once again, a reunion over 30 years in the making. The Dolphins have reportedly hired Bradshaw as a senior special teams assistant on Monday, per multiple outlets. Bradford's hiring is actually a reunion in more than one way. Mike McDaniel and Bradford indeed were together in Denver […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Feb 19, 2024 2:58 PM EST

Jan 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel takes to the field for warm-ups before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. — Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins and Ronnie Bradshaw are together once again, a reunion over 30 years in the making.

The Dolphins have reportedly hired Bradshaw as a senior special teams assistant on Monday, per multiple outlets.

Can confirm the Dolphins are hiring former NFL defensive back Ronnie Bradford as senior special teams assistant, per source.

Bradford was just Montana’s defensive coordinator, but he was also Denver Broncos special teams coordinator when Mike McDaniel was an intern in 2005.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) February 19, 2024

Bradford's hiring is actually a reunion in more than one way. Mike McDaniel and Bradford indeed were together in Denver when McDaniel was an intern and Bradford was the special teams coordinator. As such, there's a level of familiarity there.

However, Bradford is familiar with the Dolphins' organization, albeit in fleeting fashion. The Dolphins drafted Bradford in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Bradford ultimately did not make the team's final roster after the preseason and ended up with the Denver Broncos, where he spent three seasons.

He played five seasons for the Atlanta Falcons from 1997 -2001. He appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII, totaling 5 tackles with an interception as the Broncos defeated the Falcons 34-19.

As far as his NFL coaching experience, Bradford hasn't coached in the league since 2010, when he was a defensive assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs. Ever since, he's been at the college level. Most recently, he was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Montana Grizzlies last year.

His duties with the Dolphins will be curious to follow, as he will be supplementing special teams coach Danny Crossman, who's been in the role with Miami since the 2019 season.

Given the Dolphins' special teams issues in 2023 – they earned a Pro Football Focus overall special teams grade of just 65.9 – another face in the building, particularly one that McDaniel is familiar with, isn't a bad thing at this point.