Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders to miss ‘beginning of the season’ with hip injury
The Miami Dolphins will be without their kicker for at least Week 1.
Jason Sanders won’t be “available at the beginning of the season,” according to coach Mike McDaniel. Although Sanders’ injury was previously unknown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported it to be a hip ailment that will keep him out for four to five weeks.
“I don’t anticipate him being available at the beginning of the season,” McDaniel said Monday, later revealing that he doesn’t believe the injury to be season-ending. “To our knowledge, surgery is not necessary, but time is.”
This comes after Sanders didn’t participate in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Punter Jake Bailey handled both kickoff and placekicker duties, failing to convert his sole 51-yard field goal attempt.
The loss of Sanders to start the season means that the Dolphins will officially be in the market for a new kicker, something that McDaniel confirmed Monday.
It also means that the Dolphins will be without one of their most reliable players in Sanders. The one-time All-Pro has yet to miss a regular season game since Miami selected Sanders in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Even more impressive than his availability was his accuracy: Sanders converted roughly 85% of his field goal attempts and 97% of his extra points.
With all NFL teams forced to trim down their rosters by 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Dolphins will have plenty of kickers to chose from. Some available kickers include Michael Badgley (UM), Zane Gonzalez, Austin Seibert, Cade York, Eddie Pineiro (Miami Sunset) and Matt Prater.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM.
