Riley Patterson is feeling the pressure a little more this week. A day after the Miami Dolphins head coach said his performance so far was unacceptable, the Dolphins worked out three kickers while the team had the day off.
The Dolphins had 11 players in for workouts on Tuesday, including two safeties and two defensive backs, but the three placekickers are the ones who jumped out. Not because they are exceptionally good, but because teams carry only one kicker and the Dolphins already have one.
Among 11 players who auditioned for the Dolphins Tuesday were 3 kickers. The most experienced: Lucas Havrisik, who's 19 for 24 on field goals (3 for 4 from 50 plus) and 26 for 31 on extra points in 9 games for the Rams in 2023 and 3 for the Packers last season.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 22, 2026
Miami Dolphins dig into their Green Bay roots to potentially land Riley Patterson challenger
Lucas Havrisik has played in 12 games total in three seasons. The Packers released him in July. There isn't a lot of familiarity between him and the Hafley/Sullivan duo, but there is more than the other two can say they have.
Chris Freeman spent the summer with the Houston Texans before being released. The UCONN undrafted rookie couldn't make his first go-around in training camp. The same is true for Tanner Brown, who spent the summer with the Saints before being cut in August.
Brown has been in the league since 2024 with the Rams and Falcons, but has not kicked in an NFL game. If there is one thing we are learning, it's that the Dolphins are not exactly beating the doors down on veteran free agents at the position.
- Graham Gano
- Brandon McManus
- Matt Prater
According to SPOTRAC, those are the only three available free agents with experience. The Dolphins may not look in their direction due to potential salary problems. All three would make the veteran league minimum; the other three would not. The lack of real, viable competition being brought in suggests that they are looking to motivate Patterson, not replace him quite yet.
What is clear, however, is that the coach and the GM are not happy with Patterson. The kicker missed only two field goals last year and has already matched that this year. Hafley made it clear in his postgame interview that things have to get better.
It is obviously something that the Dolphins are concerned about, or they wouldn't have taken a look at three kickers, but they may not be ready to make a move just yet. That being said, if Patterson misses again in Week 3, we have to imagine that he won't be around to miss one in Week 4.
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