The Dolphins’ legwork that led to kicking surprise. Nuggets on new corner, others
A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Friday:
▪ In the real world (or more specifically, a job outside of professional sports), a temp worker might be tempted to ask how long his services will be needed.
Dolphins fill-in kicker Riley Patterson said he feels no such temptation, no urge to ask Jason Sanders when he will return from a hip injury that has sidelined him all season.
When the Dolphins signed Patterson after a tryout in late August, the expectation was that he would fill in for a month before Sanders returned from a preseason hip injury that ESPN said would sideline him only a month or so.
Twelve weeks later, Patterson remains the Dolphins’ kicker, while Sanders’ status remains unclear.
And Patterson has maximized his opportunity, connecting on 17 of 19 field goals -- including the game-winning 29-yarder in overtime against Washington -- and making 23 of 24 extra points.
Among NFL kickers who have connected on at least 17 field goals this season, only six have a higher field goal percentage than Patterson.
Coincidentally, one of them is Eddy Pineiro, who also tried out for the Dolphins that day in late August and is 22 for 22 on field goals for the 49ers. (Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph also auditioned for Miami after Sanders’ injury.)
The 26-year-old Patterson, who was signed after he went 13 for 13 in his Dolphins tryout, said he doesn’t “think much” about the fact that he very likely will be unemployed at some point.
“I’m super thankful to be here,” said Patterson, whose wife and young child have spent the season at their home in St. Louis.
”The older I get, the more I perfect my craft. Nick Folk is a great example. The older he got, the better he got. Jason has been great to me. I let Jason take care of his business. Whenever he gets back, he gets back.”
Former general manager Chris Grier would ask position coaches and other team employees to do background checks before bringing in a player for an audition.
In Patterson’s case, that involved special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman exchanging text messages with former NFL kicker Nick Novak, who had been working with Patterson.
“I’ve known and coached [with Novak] for a long time,” Aukerman said. “Now he’s working with kickers in the San Diego area. Nick said that was the best he’s ever seen Riley kick. It was a brief text message. He said, ‘Hey, listen Craig, ‘Riley has been hitting the ball extremely well.’”
Aukerman said the due diligence also involved calling Patterson’s former special teams coordinator and asking “‘Hey, you know what’s going on with Riley? What is his mental makeup? If he does miss one, what’s he like on his next kick?’
“So we try to do as much research as we possibly can, and we end up doing research even before something were to happen, because you always have to have a ready list just in case… a guy [gets] hurt on a Friday.”
The Dolphins are Patterson’s sixth team, following stints with Detroit, Jacksonville, Cleveland, the Jets and Atlanta. He’s now 80 for 93 in his career on field goals; his career long is 53 yards and his longest Dolphins field goal is 49 yards.
▪ Kudos to Mike McDaniel, offensive coordinator Frank Smith and others not only for their idea of using Daniel Brunskill as a sixth offensive lineman beginning last month against Atlanta, but their decision to continue using that package even after the return of tight end Julian Hill against Washington.
Against Washington, the Dolphins averaged 6.4 yards per rush with an extra offensive lineman (primarily Brunskill). McDaniel said he’s actually playing tight end in those packages.
“It’s been big for us,” De’Von Achane said of Brunskill’s usage. “Obviously teams know when he comes in that we’re running the ball. I feel like that’s something we’re going to keep doing until somebody stops it.”
▪ Cornerback Jack Jones’ overtime interception against Washington was the Dolphins’ first overtime interception since J.B. Brown picked off New England’s Drew Bledsoe in January 1994. He’s now one of just nine cornerbacks with at least eight interceptions since 2022.
“This year I feel like I’ve been trying to tone down my aggression and just play to the system and do my job,” Jones said. “Just make the plays that come to me and don’t try to overreach.”
Jones said he feels “truly blessed to be here. This past off-season, I didn’t know if I was going to be on the team or not. Just being here, I thank coach, and I thank [owner Stephen] Ross for giving me this opportunity. I’m happy about everything.”
▪ Couple of Jordyn Brooks fun facts: His 20 tackles against Washington were the most in an NFL game this season and the most ever in an international NFL game. He’s one of just two players in the league to produce multiple games with 20-plus tackles since entering the NFL in 2020; Denver’s Alex Singleton is the other.
No NFL player had 20 tackles in a game last season; Roquan Smith had 21 for Baltimore in a November 2023 game against Cleveland. Zach Thomas was the last Dolphins player with 20 tackles in a game; he had 21 in a game vs. Buffalo in December 2006.
▪ A couple of Achane feats: He’s one of only three Dolphins to produce three consecutive seasons with 800-plus rushing yards, joining Larry Csonka (1970-73) and Karim Abdul-Jabbar (1996-98).
Achane is the first Dolphins player with back-to-back seasons of 900 plus yards rushing since Reggie Bush did it in 2011 and 2012…
Achane’s 5.5 rushing average on 470 career carries would rank among the best all-time if he can somehow sustain it. Jim Brown averaged 5.2, Mercury Morris 5.1, Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders 5.0.
▪ New Dolphins cornerback A.J. Green, who was plucked from the Rams’ practice squad this week, has played in 36 games and made two starts - one apiece for Cleveland in 2021 and 2022.
He has played 318 defensive snaps in five seasons but none in three appearances for the Browns last season and none in two appearances for the Rams this season. Los Angeles elevated him twice this year, and he played eight snaps on special teams.
Green, who’s 6-2, has two interceptions, seven passes defended and two recovered fumbles in his five-year career. He has a solid 85.1 career passing rating in his coverage area, permitting 19 completions in 35 targets for 277 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, per Pro Football Reference.
Green, 27, signed with Cleveland in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State. He spent training camp with the Vikings in 2024, was released late in August that year and joined the Rams’ practice squad last November. He had been on the Rams’ practice squad all of this season.
Green filled the roster spot left open when cornerback Juju Brents was placed on injured reserve because of season-ending foot injury.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
