One simple stat could tell us everything we need to know about one of the Miami Dolphins’ many position battles
There’s one stat that could end up holding the key to one of the Miami Dolphins’ many position battles this summer.
When former Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders went down at the beginning of the season in 2025, it threatened to create nothing but chaos for Miami’s special teams unit.
The Dolphins endured plenty of chaos last season, but surprisingly little of it came from Sanders’ replacement, Riley Patterson. With a new regime in place, Patterson is back for the 2026 season — but he’s not being given anything. Patterson will need to win his job this season and to do so, he must fend off fellow veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez. Who has the edge? The incumbent or the newcomer? One stat may offer us a big clue.
Kicking for distance could be the key to the Miami Dolphins’ looming kicker battle
The NFL’s new kicking ball rules have opened the doors for scoring opportunities from longer field goals than ever before. Five years ago, not a single kicker hit 10 or more 50+ yard field goals in the 2021 season. In 2022 and 2023, one kicker per season achieved that feat. Fast forward to 2025? Three kickers made 11 kicks of 50+ yards, with another four hitting 9 kicks.
Teams are baking on scoring from the opposing 40-yard line these days. So having a kicker who can hit with distance is going to be a bigger part of the conversation. And between Miami’s two contenders for the kicking job, that conversation is not close.
Newcomer Zane Gonzalez hit as many 50+ yard field goals in nine games for the Atlanta Falcons last season (7) as Riley Patterson has hit in his five year kicking career. For Patterson’s career, he’s hit 53% of his kicks from 50 yards or longer. Gonzalez is true 64% of the time from 50+ yards. So for as good as Patterson was for the Miami Dolphins in 2025, it’s worth acknowledging that Gonzalez has a big leg up (pun intended) where it may matter most.
Miami Dolphins News