The Miami Dolphins are notoriously hit with the injury bug from year to year, and the 2025 season has been no different. In fact, it started immediately when newly signed cornerback Artie Burns tore his ACL minutes into the first day of training camp. Injuries are a part of the game, but it still comes as a surprise when a placekicker gets added to the list.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders, who sustained a hip injury during warmups of the team's final preseason game. Fast forward to the present day, and Sanders may have already played his final down as a Dolphin.
Dolphins could choose Riley Patterson over Jason Sanders in cost-cutting move
Sanders' hip injury landed him on injured reserve, with an expected return in 5-6 weeks. Yet, here we are entering the bye week in Week 12, and we've seen no sign of Sanders, nor have we been given a timetable for his potential return.
Kicking in his place, Riley Patterson has done an admirable job. Through 11 games, Patterson has made 17 of 19 field-goal attempts for an 89.5% success rate, which ranks 10th among kickers with at least 14 attempts on the season. He's also succeeded on 23 of 24 extra-point attempts.
Naturally, Patterson's play has raised speculation on what the Dolphins plan to do with Sanders. The former seventh-rounder is due $3.75 million in 2026, with a roster bonus of $500,000 due on March 20. With a rebuild looming and the organization looking to cut costs, Miami could opt to cut its longtime veteran in favor of Patterson or someone else.
But is that wise?
Good kickers are hard to come by, and Sanders is a good one. He's had a couple of rough seasons mixed in, but Sanders has been solid for his career (84.6% FG) since the Dolphins drafted him in 2018. More importantly, the team knows they can count on him from long range. That area, however, remains a question mark for Patterson.
In 2024, Sanders connected on 12 of 14 field-goal attempts from 50+ yards out alone. Meanwhile, Patterson is just 4 of 10 from that range for his entire career. His lone attempt this season from that far out was a 57-yarder against the Los Angeles Chargers that he missed in the second quarter. The Dolphins would go on to lose the game by two.
That loss can't be blamed on Patterson, but it stands in my point that good kickers are tough to come by. And with just one attempt from 50+ yards out, it could also indicate that the coaching staff doesn't trust Patterson in those types of situations. Of course, on the contrary, an argument could be made that head coach Mike McDaniel tends to go for it on fourth down when he often shouldn't.
Nevertheless, kicking is a part of the game that you don't often think about until you need to. Several games come down to a final kick -- and often from a considerable distance. And you need someone you can trust to be the difference between one in the win column or wondering what if.
Thus, in 2026, it should be Sanders that the Dolphins trust to put it through the uprights, even if we don't see him for the rest of this season. Patterson has earned himself a roster spot somewhere, and while the Dolphins organization will need to find considerable ways to cut costs, it doesn't need to be at the kicker position.
Miami isn't likely to be very good next year, so they won't necessarily need to count on Sanders immediately upon his return. But if they do this rebuild right, the Dolphins could be contenders again relatively soon -- and they'll need their ace kicker in dramatic settings. At just 30 years old, Sanders could remain the Dolphins' placekicker for years to come if he continues kicking at a high level.