The Dolphins are hosting some experienced kickers as they aim to find the best fill-in option for the injured Jason Sanders. In addition to meeting with Eddy Pineiro, Miami auditioned Greg Zuerlein, Riley Patterson and Zane Gonzalez, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
Patterson may be the lead candidate here, with Jackson adding the Dolphins have expressed interest in adding the nomadic specialist as the fill-in option after being impressed with his workout. Patterson has been a free agent since March, having been with five teams in 2024.
The Jaguars, Commanders, Jets, Falcons and Browns rostered Patterson between July and December last year. This cross-country journey also included workouts elsewhere in between stints with teams. Despite his five-team tour, Patterson only kicked in five games last season. He was 16 of 16 on extra points and 4 of 7 on field goals. In his most recent extended work (with the 2023 Lions), Patterson — a 2023 trade acquisition from Jacksonville — was 15-for-17 on FG tries. At 25, Patterson is by far the youngest of the four options the Dolphins surveyed today.
A 13-year veteran, Zuerlein spent the past three seasons with the Jets. The former All-Pro struggled in his second Jets season, missing crucial kicks during the team’s 5-12 campaign. Zuerlein kicked in just eight games, making only 9 of 16 field goal tries. However, he was 35-for-38 in 2023 as a Jet, leading to a two-year, $8.4MM re-signing in 2024. The Jets cut bait on that contract in March, releasing the former Rams and Cowboys kicker after he finished last season on IR (with Patterson as one of the fill-in options).
Gonzalez kicked in six Commanders games last season, representing his first action since 2021. He was 5-for-7 on field goals and 19-for-19 on PATs. Gonzalez finished last season as Washington’s kicker and re-signed with the team in March, but the Commanders cut him shortly after the draft. Colts cut Matt Gay replaced Gonzalez in Washington.
Ben Sauls is a kicker teams should take a look at