Dolphins sign K Zane Gonzalez after kicker workout, release Riley Patterson
The Dolphins are changing kickers on the way out of their bye week, adding Zane Gonzalez after a Tuesday workout and cutting Riley Patterson to open the roster spot. Gonzalez joins Miami pending a physical. The audition was not…
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The Dolphins are changing kickers on the way out of their bye week, adding Zane Gonzalez after a Tuesday workout and cutting Riley Patterson to open the roster spot.
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.
Gonzalez joins Miami pending a physical. The audition was not a one-man affair: the workout also included Justin Tucker, the seven-time Pro Bowler, which made the Dolphins' decision a comparison between a decorated veteran and a kicker they chose to bring back rather than simply filling a vacancy.
For a team coming out of its bye, the change resets a kicking job that had been under scrutiny. Patterson's exit ends a short tenure in Miami, and Gonzalez inherits the role with the Dolphins' Week 7 trip to the Jets next on the schedule.
The timing also puts Patterson onto the open market at a point in the season when kickers are moving. The Rams placed Blake Grupe on injured reserve after his knee injury in the loss to the Cardinals and have been working out veteran replacements, so the pool of available specialists is being watched closely around the league.