It turns out the Dolphins weren’t so lucky after all with their latest special teams setback on Saturday night against Jacksonville
The Miami Dolphins will have to start the 2025 season without kicker Jason Sanders.
The Miami Dolphins have been a franchise dogged by hard luck on the injury front in recent years. Between offensive line availability issues, Tua Tagovailoa’s stretch of injuries, and the team’s pass rush room being gutted by the end of 2023 and then again in 2024, Miami has had more than their fair share. But with the 2025 season now arriving, the Dolphins find themselves in familiar territory — the running back room is banged up, Miami lost starting cornerback Kader Kohou for the season, and now, a setback from the team’s final preseason contest.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that kicker Jason Sanders will miss the start of the season after the Dolphins appeared to dodge a bullet on that front.
Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders to miss 4-5 weeks with a hip injury
Mike McDaniel in the postgame press conference on Saturday night said Sanders, who left in the first quarter with a trainer to go back into the locker room, offered to kick extra points during Miami’s 14-6 victory over Jacksonville. The Dolphins charged punter Jake Bailey with attempting a field goal and, well, let’s just say he probably won’t get another shot if Miami can help it.
Now, some 48 hours later, the Dolphins apparently did not like what they found in the follow up to Sanders’ injury. Miami will make roster cuts across the next 24 hours but will then have two choices on how to proceed.
Miami could find an additional roster spot to presumably carry two kickers on the 53-man roster while Sanders heals. Or, if they’re willing to use one of the team’s designations to return from Injured Reserve to stash Sanders, Miami could place Sanders on injured reserve on Wednesday and then open a roster spot. Such a move could push Sanders past his reported 4-5 week recovery window — but could be a justifiable move to ensure they don’t lose another 53-man roster player anyway. That’s probably the play, but an IR to Return designation being used on a kicker injury suffered during the preseason is some tough luck.
Miami is sadly used to it.
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