The Miami Dolphins eliminated one of their special teams problems on Tuesday. Riley Patterson, who has been inconsistent throughout the first five weeks, is being released. The Dolphins needed to do something.
On Monday, Jeff Hafley hinted that something was brewing. When asked whether or not the team had tried to kick the ball out of the end zone rather than let the Bengals return the kick. Hafley said, "We did try to kick them out of the end zone; that was discussed and just not executed the way that we wanted it to be."
One day later, Patterson was cut, and Zane Gonzalez, who was cut in preseason, was signed.
Miami Dolphins change at kicker was long overdue after Riley Patterson's start
Patterson made a lot of fans last year when he was signed to take over for an injured Jason Sanders. He played the entire season and missed only three field goals. Through the first three games of 2026, he matched it.
Anderson was cut during camp after a minor injury, so the move to bring him back shouldn't be a surprise. The Dolphins also reportedly worked out former Ravens legend and 7X Pro Bowler Justin Tucker.
Gonzalez has been in the NFL for 7 seasons, kicking for five different teams. Miami will make it his 6th. Last season, Gonzalez went 19 of 22 for the Falcons. He has a bigger leg than Riley. Gonzalez' longest was a 57-yarder in 2021. Last year he made a 56-yard attempt. Patterson's career-long is 54, made last season with Miami.
The concerning part for Riley wasn't just the missed attempts. If the Dolphins wanted him to kick the ball out of the end zone, then why didn't he do that?
"On the ensuing kickoffs, yeah, several of them were supposed to be touchbacks and weren't," Hafley said.
It's unacceptable for a kicker to not do the one thing he is being asked to do. It's not difficult given the way kickoffs are handled by the league now. Put your leg into it and kick it out of the back of the end zone. Hafley said that the special teams unit covered the subsequent kicks that Patterson put into play. The Bengals returned the opening kickoff 81 yards. That short drive ended with an early touchdown.
Miami's special teams have been a problem all year, but Patterson is the first one to take the heat. Like other positions on the team, the Dolphins' ST unit is made up of inexperienced fringe players.
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