Miami Dolphins need to replace Jason Sanders and eat the dead money

Jason Sanders is not the kicker we thought he would be and it’s time for the Miami Dolphins to move on. The team deserves better.

It’s tough enough to win in the NFL without having to set yourself back because a kicker can’t do his job. In the case of Jason Sanders, he is becoming more of a liability than an asset. Earlier we used him as an example of why the Dolphins should wait to extend to Tua Tagovailoa, you can read that here, we won’t rehash what was said there, here.

What we will say is that the Dolphins should eat the $3 million plus cap hit next year and save the $95K and simply move on.

Sanders has had one really standout season, 2020 when he was a first-team All Pro. That prompted the Dolphins to ink him to an extension that paid him $23 million through 2026. Two years in and the team probably wishes there was a return policy.

It is tough watching the Dolphins lose on the legs of a kicker, especially when their own overpaid leg is failing. The Chargers got what they needed from a kicker who has missed one attempt all season. Cameron Dicker isn’t even the Chargers first kicker. He is the third the Chargers have been through this year. Against the Dolphins, Dicker was a perfect 3-3. Sanders made both of his kicks that game but against the Packers, his miss was a critical one.

Also on Sunday, Mason Crosby was a perfect 4-4 on FG attempts.

On the season, Sanders has missed five on the season. When you start thinking about only missing five field goals, it almost seems nit picky but in reality, that is five misses in 28 attempts. It’s not a small number and every miss puts opposing teams at an advantage to start their next drive.

So far, his missed field goals haven’t hurt the team just yet. Miami gave up a touchdown against the Jets following his missed attempt against them and against the Bengals, his blocked attempt set up a Bengals touchdown three plays later. On Sunday, Aaron Rodgers came close to making it a third.

Miami can’t afford to wait for Sanders to miss a game deciding field goal. 82% in the NFL is not good enough but at least it is better than his 74% last year. It is hard to know what the Dolphins will do with Sanders next season but they should at the very least bring in real competition for the job and make Sanders feel that pressure to earn his roster spot.

Sanders is far from the reason the Dolphins are losing but he is also not the reason they are winning either.