BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Bills are reportedly hiring Chris Tabor, the former interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers with 16 seasons of experience as an NFL assistant, to lead their special teams, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old Tabor was special teams coordinator in Cleveland from 2011-17, Chicago from 2018-21, and Carolina from 2022-23. He was out of the NFL last season after taking over as the Panthers’ interim coach for the final seven games of the 2023 season following the firing of former Bills quarterback Frank Reich. Tabor also was interim head coach of the Bears for one game during the 2021 season.
Tabor replaces Matthew Smiley, who was fired last week after eight seasons on Buffalo’s coaching staff, the past three as special teams coordinator.
Smiley’s job status was in question following a series special teams blunders in his third season as Buffalo’s coordinator.
Bills coach Sean McDermott, however, expressed support for Smiley during his end-of-season news conference on Jan. 30.
Aside from answering, “yes,” when asked if he was confident in retaining Smiley, McDermott credited him for doing “a nice job.”
“Listen, I know there are plays that have come up and I know he doesn’t feel great about them, nor do I. Those are learning pieces for a coach in his position,” McDermott said, while noting that Buffalo’s unit was depleted by injuries. “All that being said, I’m confident that coach Smiley is going to learn from those situations.”
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.