Dolphins cut Riley Patterson, sign Zane Gonzalez

Patterson's job had been shaky for weeks, and by Tuesday afternoon the next guy's name was already out there.

Joe Schad

@schadjoe

Zane Gonzalez —>

Jordan Schultz

@Schultz_Report

Sources: The #Dolphins are signing K Zane Gonzalez after a workout today that I’m told also included 7× Pro Bowler Justin Tucker. Gonzalez is set to join Miami pending a physical. t.co/TFxpkE0Tm8

Those 3 words were all it took. A little later the other shoe dropped. Patterson was gone.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Dolphins are releasing kicker Riley Patterson.

The numbers explain it. Patterson tried only 7 field goals this season and missed 2 of them. He also missed an extra point, and his own coaches reportedly weren't happy with how he was kicking off. When a kicker gets that few chances, missing on 2 of them sticks out, and Miami has no room to give away points right now.

Gonzalez isn't new around here. Miami brought him in during the spring to compete with Patterson for the job after Jason Sanders left. He got hurt in training camp, landed on injured reserve in August and was released with an injury settlement. Two months later he's back and the job is his, pending a physical. According to reports, he could end up on either the 53-man roster or the practice squad.

His résumé is fine. He's 31, and he made 19 of 22 field goals and 17 of 18 extra points in 9 games for Atlanta last season. Over his career he's 115-for-142 on field goals, about 81%. That isn't elite, but the Dolphins only need him to be reliable.

Then there's the wild part. Justin Tucker was in the same workout and Miami passed on him. He's 7-time Pro Bowler who hasn't kicked in an NFL game since 2024. The Ravens moved on from him over off-field issues, and he was reinstated this summer after a 10-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy. A team needing a kicker brought in one of the best ever and still went with Gonzalez. That tells you how much the off-field stuff is still following Tucker around.

So keep an eye on 2 things. First, whether Gonzalez passes the physical and gets on the field right away. Second, where Tucker ends up, if anywhere. He clearly still wants to kick, and teams are clearly willing to look. Miami just wasn't the team that would sign him.