Dolphins fans know the name Jason Sanders better than most kicking stories in the NFL. They’ve seen the high points, including his 37 makes on 41 tries in 2024, and they’ve lived through the misses too - the kind that leave a game hanging right there for the taking.
Now he’s on the other sideline.
Miami will see its former kicker in Week 7 after moving on from Sanders this offseason. Jon-Eric Sullivan released him and went with Zane Gonzalez and Riley Patterson instead. The twist is that Miami’s kicking picture kept shifting after that: earlier in the week, the Dolphins cut Sanders’ replacement from a year ago and brought back the kicker Sanders had already beaten in camp.
That leaves Miami, still searching for its first win, hoping the old version of Sanders shows up. The team won’t get any points from him, but it could absolutely benefit if he keeps the Jets from adding to their total.
So far this season, Sanders has missed only one of his 13 field-goal attempts, and that one was from 50-plus yards. The Jets have not asked him to carry the load very often.
In Week 1, he went 3-for-4 in a win over the Titans. In Week 4 against Chicago, he had just two field-goal tries in another loss and also missed his only extra point of the year.
Then in Week 6, he was perfect on four attempts in a loss. Between Weeks 1 and 6, he has had more than one field-goal attempt only once.
Miami’s decision to let him go came with only $660,000 in dead money, but the choice was tied to more than just roster math. Sanders was coming off a groin injury that kept him out for the first four weeks of the 2025 season. That absence stretched into eight weeks, and then into the full season.
Even now, plenty of Dolphins fans believe he should still be in Miami. But his salary demands, the injury issues, and the streaky nature of his game all helped push the split.
Sunday will be the first time Sanders lines up against the team he used to kick for, and he’d love to make it sting for Miami. Still, Dolphins fans know his game can wobble when the pressure ramps up. And if this one gets tight, the old familiar kicker across the field might end up helping his former team after all.
In Other News...
Dolphins Get An Offensive Boost At The Perfect Time Against Jets
Miamis offense is getting a timely reinforcement for its Week 7 meeting with the Jets, with Caleb Douglas set to return after working fully in practice Friday. The wide receiver had missed the previous three games with an ankle injury, and his availability gives the Dolphins another option as they try to keep the offense moving against a division opponent.
The broader injury picture is trending in the right direction for Miami, too, with Kyle Louis, Jaylen Wright and Will Kacmarek all expected to be available or close to it. On the other side, the Jets have their own uncertainty to sort through, as Breece Hall is listed as questionable with a quad injury, leaving the backfield situation unsettled heading into the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Get A Rookie Back But One Big Jets Question Remains
Miami got a little healthier heading into its matchup with the Jets, activating rookie safety Kyle Louis off injured reserve and making him available for the upcoming game. The Dolphins also added some short-term depth by elevating edge defender Max Llewellyn and kicker Zane Gonzalez from the practice squad, moves that help patch together a roster thinned by injuries and recent releases.
Louis had been out since the season opener against the Raiders with a knee injury, so his return gives Miami another option in the secondary at a time when every available body matters. The bigger question now is how the Dolphins choose to deploy their reinforcements against New York, especially with the roster still in flux and a few spots needing to be covered on game day. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Kicking Situation
The Dolphins made a swift move at kicker after just five games, turning away from Riley Patterson and bringing back Zane Gonzalez to stabilize one of the most finicky spots on the roster. It was a clear sign that Miami had seen enough inconsistency on both field goals and extra points, and that the margin for error at the position had already become too thin for comfort.
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said Gonzalez brings the kind of consistency and experience the Dolphins wanted, pointing to a veteran who has handled pressure across seven NFL seasons and multiple stops before returning to Miami. For a team trying to settle its kicking concerns early, the move suggests the competition at the position is still very much alive, even if the franchise has already drawn a line about what it expects from that job. [Read more 🡒]