Oct 30, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions place kicker Riley Patterson (36) kicks a field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Dolphins Special Teams is Now Completely Former Patriots

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 10:56 AM ET

When the Miami Dolphins play host to the New England Patriots in Week 2, don't be surprised if Miami's special teams unit looks a tad bit familiar.

According to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, the Dolphins are signing kicker Riley Patterson to the practice squad with the intention of elevating him to the game day roster. This comes after starting placekicker Jason Sanders is reportedly being placed on IR with a hip injury.

This means that the Dolphins -- who also boast the likes of punter Jake Bailey and long snapper Joe Cardona -- currently have a trio of past Patriots playerson their special teams operations.

Patterson, who's bounced around the league since coming into the NFL, was with New England for a short period of time. The Patriots signed Patterson back in 2021 to their practice squad, where he lasted just almost a month. He was later claimed by the Detroit Lions that November. Memorably, Patterson was the first Patriot to be assigned No. 11 after legendary wide receiver Julian Edelman announced his retirement that offseason.

As for Bailey and Cardona, the duo played together with the Patriots from 2019 through 2022. Bailey was drafted following the team's Super Bowl LIII title and beat out Ryan Allen for the starting job. After that, he became one of the league's most valuable punters and earned himself a hefty extension. By the end of his Patriots tenure, injuries piled up and the team cut ties with the Stanford alum. He landed on his feet in Miami and beat out newcomer Ryan Stonehouse for the gig.

Cardona on the other hand was an institution for the Patriots. A fifth-round draft choice back in 2015, the Navy alum was with the team for almost every single regular season and playoff game until the end of last season. The Patriots -- under new leadership -- drafted Vanderbilt's Julian Ashby this year and released Cardona, the last member of the team who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. He later signed a one-year contract to join their division rivals this summer.

"Here we are, Super Bowl week, I've got my Super Bowl rings on," Cardona said back in February on why Super Bowl LI was the greatest game he was a part of. "I figured it was a great reminder of a game like that. It was an opportunity where I knew I couldn't go back out on that field. My last snap was with nine and a half minutes left in the game, and there was no way I could go back out on that field for us to have success at the end of it. So I've got to watch Tom Brady orchestrate the greatest comeback of all-time. Maybe it's not talked about, but that was the greatest comeback of all time. That was the greatest Super Bowl of the modern era. I firmly believe it."

The Dolphins are slated to play the Patriots in Week 2 and Week 18, where the latter is expected to have some sort of postseason expectations for one of the teams involved.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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