Matt Daniels enters his sixth season coaching in the NFL and second with the Vikings as special teams coordinator, after spending two seasons as the assistant special teams coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He brings seven total seasons of coaching experience and eight years of playing experience, both collegiately and professionally, to Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's staff.
In 2022, Daniels coached RB Kene Nwangwu, who recorded his third career kick return touchdown in Week 12 against the Patriots and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Daniels also worked with rookie punter Ryan Wright, who set multiple franchise records, including the record for highest gross punting average (47.4) and net punting average (42.5) by a rookie. Under Daniels, K Greg Joseph connected on five game-winning field goals, including a franchise record 61-yard game winner against the Giants in Week 16. Joseph received two NFC Special Teams Player of the Week awards throughout the season (Week 4 and Week 16) Additionally, he coached LS Andrew DePaola to his first career Pro Bowl. Daniels also coached S Josh metellus, who became the first player since 1995 to record a blocked punt in two consecutive games.
In 2021, Dallas' special teams unit, led by John Fassel and assisted by Daniels, finished in the top five for a consecutive year in kick return average (24.8). With Daniels' assistance, K Greg Zuerlein made 29 field goals, tying for the ninth-most in the NFL, on 35 attempts for a success rate of 82.9%. P Bryan Anger averaged 48.4 yards per punt, tying for fourth and ultimately earning him his first Pro Bowl honor. The special teams unit led the league in most special teams touchdowns, two of which were blocked punts and one where RB Tony Pollard returned a kick for 100 yards for a touchdown against Las Vegas in Week 12, the first return for a touchdown in his career.
Following the 2021 season, Rick Gosselin ranked the Dallas special teams sixth overall, averaging fifth in kick returns (24.8) and fourth (48.4) in punting.
In Daniels' first season in Dallas in 2020 the team saw instant upgrades in the special teams rankings. Dallas jumped from last in the league in kick return average (16.3) in 2019 to third (26.1) in 2020 and from 26th (5.7) in punt return average in 2019 to 13th (9.1) in 2020.
Pollard, Dallas' primary kick returner, finished fourth in the NFL with 766 kick return yards on 32 kickoffs - both career-highs. Fassel and Daniels also brought over a familiar face at kicker in 2020, as former Ram Greg Zuerlein's 34 made field goals were third-most in the NFL and tied Richie Cunningham (1997) for the most made field goals in a single season in Cowboys history. Zuerlein also tallied 135 points - tied for the second-most in a single season in club history.
Daniels and Fassel deployed one of the most aggressive and creative special teams groups with the Rams in recent years, and from 2018-19 they had the most fake kicks (eight), recorded six punt returns of 20-plus yards and finished second in the league in net punting average (43.0) in 2018. Also in 2018, LB Cory Littleton was named to the Pro Bowl as the special teams player for the NFC after blocking two punts and deflecting another.
Daniels joined the Rams after a four-year stint as a player in the NFL and a one-year graduate assistantship at the University of Colorado in 2017. He played in seven games over the course of his four-year NFL career for the St. Louis Rams (six) and San Diego Chargers (one). He also spent time on the practice squads for Jacksonville and the Chargers.
Collegiately, Daniels earned first-team All-ACC and second-team All-America honors as a senior at safety, leading Duke in tackles (126). In his final season as a Blue Devil, he finished second in the balloting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Daniels played in 46 career games at Duke and compiled totals of 324 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 27 pass breakups. He was named a team captain for the 2011 season.
As a prep at Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Ga., Daniels was a three-time all-region pick and two-time all-county choice. Additionally, he was named Fayette County's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior, setting the school single-game rushing record with 348 yards on 18 carries. Daniels also participated in track and field at Fayetteville and was honored with the Watkins Award, an honor presented annually to the top African-American high school student-athlete in the country.
Daniels holds a degree in public policy studies with a minor in markets & management studies from Duke. He and his wife, Tiffany, have a daughter, Yara and a son, Yahya.
