New Dolphins special teams coordinator weighs in on punter competition

USA Today

23-05-2025

New Dolphins special teams coordinator weighs in on punter competition
When Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman joined the team earlier this offseason, it didn't take long for the coach to be reunited with punter Ryan Stonehouse.
The duo spent close to two seasons together with the Tennessee Titans before Aukerman was let go late in the 2023 season. Now Stonehouse is also in his first season with the Dolphins and will compete with Jake Bailey to be Miami's punter this fall.
"My major thing is I'm all about competition," Aukerman said. "Jake (Bailey) is an All-Pro punter. Ryan Stonehouse is an All-Pro punter. When an opportunity arose that Ryan was free, hey, let's bring him down here. Nothing is guaranteed to anybody"
But Aukerman says he didn't have a huge hand in the reunion actually coming to fruition.
"I have good dialogue with Coach Mike (McDaniel) and with Chris (Grier), whether they're coming in my office or me going in there. There's always going to be dialogue between us, but they handle the roster so that stuff, I wouldn't say I have a big-time role in it. I give my opinion on certain things and I let them handle the roster,' Aukerman said.
In two seasons with the Dolphins, Bailey has averaged 46.4 yards per punt -- an improvement from the 45.9 yards he averaged in four season with the New England Patriots. However, Bailey was much better in placement for the Patriots, pinning 45.9 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line in New England. That number has dropped to 38.5 percent in his two years in Miami.
Stonehouse burst on to the NFL scene in 2022 when he earned Second Team All-Pro honors by averaging an NFL-record 53.1 yards per punt -- a number he matched in 2023. But his low hang time frustrated coaches and eventually resulted in a relatively surprising split with the Titans.
Winning the job with the Dolphins will take more than just big kicks from either player, though.
'I think everything – holding, punting, directional punting, distance, hang time – all that stuff [plays a role]," Aukerman said. "Obviously Jake (Bailey) has a lot of reps with Jason (Sanders), but it's also going to be our job to get Ryan (Stonehouse) and Jason ready just in case he ends up winning the job.
"Jason had an unbelievable year and I credit Jake with that, too, because it's tough to go through a bunch of long snappers in a season and I thought those guys handled it like pros last year. Obviously, Jason had one of his best years of his career which was unbelievable. Yeah, everything will be factored into the competition.'
Sanders has had several holders in his seven seasons in South Florida, and last season Bailey helped him to a 90.2 field goals made percentage, the second-best of his career. Sanders also enters 2025 with the NFL's longest active consecutive kicks made streak at 27, including nine from 50-plus yards.
"It's all about competition and the thing that I love about competition, it makes the guys step up their game, and I think this is going to be big for both of them," Aukerman said.