Dolphins Are Reportedly Bringing Back Kicker Zane Gonzalez

UPDATE:

The Miami Dolphins have released Riley Patterson.

The Miami Dolphins are preparing to return after a Week 6 bye. With the team needing to make adjustments to get out of their 0-5 losing skid, they are apparently doing so by looking at special teams.

Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Dolphins brought in kickers for a workout, which included Justin Tucker and Zane Gonzalez. The team is also reportedly signing Gonzalez back. 

Gonzalez was with the Dolphins during training camp, but an injury led to him being released with an injury settlement. Riley Patterson won the kicking job by default, but it appears the team is looking for more competition in the kicking game.

Patterson has not missed a kick in the last three games, but he did struggle to start the season. He currently has a 77.8 percent field goal accuracy. 

The bigger issue for Patterson is that he has missed an extra point, which should be a chip shots for most kickers. 

There might also be an underlying injury for Patterson that has not yet been disclosed. Either way, Gonzalez appears to be back in South Florida.

Gonzalez most recently played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2025. While there, he kicked with 86.4 percent accuracy, going 19-for-22 attempts, missing two kicks from the 50+ yard range and one from the 30-39 yard range. 

Patterson secured the Dolphins franchise kicking accuracy record in 2025 by posting a 93.1 percent success rate. The expectation was that he was set to win the kicking job outright, but the team brought in Zane Gonzalez to provide competition.

The pair of kickers traded off success in training camp, but Gonzalez appeared to be ahead before he suffered an undisclosed injury. Now, he is back to potentially win the kicking job.

The move to sign a new kicker is certainly a strange one, but again, there could be an injury that has not been disclosed regarding Patterson.

Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley is generally forthcoming with injury updates, and he will likely reveal whether that is the case for Patterson. 

Gonzalez being re-signed has also not been confirmed by the Miami organization just yet, so that may come with the release of the NFL's daily transaction wire. If the news is confirmed, there is likely to be more information regarding what has transpired in the kicking game.

Miami will likely continue to look at all facets of the roster and bring players in through the 2026 season.