Miami has two kickers slated to be on the roster this offseason.
Miami Dolphins place kicker Riley Patterson (47) kicks a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Miami Dolphins are bringing back one of their top performers from the 2025 season, but he’ll have to compete for his job in 2026.
The Dolphins announced they’re re-signing kicker Riley Patterson Thursday. This comes just days after the team also [agreed to terms with kicker Zane Gonzalez](https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi/news/evaluating-the-addition-of-zane-gonzalez-as-the-new-kicker-01kkcdvah1dp). Patterson and Gonzalez join what is starting to be a [pretty big free agency class for the Dolphins](https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi/news/ranking-the-dolphins-free-agency-moves-through-day-1-01kkgt42bgkq).
Of course, this means the Dolphins will be holding a kicking competition this offseason.
It’s been a while since the Dolphins had a genuine competition at kicker. Jason Sanders was the unquestioned starter for his seven-year tenure, even during his down seasons. Sanders is arguably the best kicker in Dolphins history, so whoever wins the job will have big shoes to fill.
With Sanders now on the Giants, Miami will turn to either Patterson or Gonzalez.
Breaking Down Dolphins Kicker Competition
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Let’s meet our competitors.
Patterson is technically the incumbent in this race, and he had the most accurate season in Dolphins history. He made 27 of his 29 kicks in 2025, breaking the Dolphins’ record with a 93.1 make percentage.
Patterson also made 34 of his 35 extra points, so he was accurate across the board last season. The only real question with Patterson is whether this was a flash in the pan.
He had struggled before landing in Miami, especially from beyond 50 yards. He made three of his four attempts from that range last season, but converted just four of his nine attempts before that.
Kickers are highly volatile, and Patterson’s track record wasn’t great before this season.
Speaking of volatility, Gonzalez has dealt with his own ups and downs in recent seasons. Last year, he was Atlanta’s kicker for nine games. He made 19 of his 22 attempts after being signed midseason.
In fact, the Dolphins brought in Gonzalez for the same tryout that led to them signing Patterson when Sanders got hurt during the preseason.
Gonzalez’s biggest advantages are leg strength and experience. He’s made 18 of 28 attempts from beyond 50 yards and was seven of nine from that range last season. He’s also got a career-long of 57 yards, which is higher than Patterson’s 54.
Gonzalez also overlapped with the Dolphins’ new special teams coach, Chris Tabor, for one season with the Cleveland Browns in 2017.
In total, Gonzalez has a career 81% conversion percentage on field goals. That’s much lower than Patterson’s 87.4% conversion rate. That said, most of Gonzalez’s worst seasons were early in his career.
He was great for Atlanta last season and had a 90.9 conversion percentage for the Panthers in 2021. He didn’t kick in 2022 or 2023 before returning to make five of seven attempts for the Commanders in 2024.
Ultimately, it seems like the Dolphins have two kickers who are getting better with time. That’s a good place to be at a position that, while easily replaceable, can provide quite an advantage.
It’s too early to predict who will win the race, but it’ll likely be one of the more competitive training camp battles.