Why New Dolphins Kicker Calls Transition 'Super Simple'

Riley Patterson will kick for the Miami Dolphins in their Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

His transition to the role was a quick one, beating out Greg Joseph, Eddy Pineiro and Zane Gonzalez in a workout last Tuesday. He was signed to the practice squad with the expectation he'll be elevated for the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

He told reporters Wednesday that is has been a "super easy transition." Patterson played with placeholder Jake Bailey before, on the New England Patriots, so the connection counts for fast chemistry.

"But, yeah, just getting used to cadence and the rhythm of the snap, the hold," he said. "But the guys are awesome, though. They made it super simple."

About the Workout (Tryout)

As a journeyman kicker (Patterson has played for five teams in four years), Patterson is no stranger to tryouts. That experience allowed him to know "the rhythm of how it goes."

"They were balls up around 7 o'clock, and there was all four of us there," he said. "Two of us went first, two of us went second, and we just rotated kicks and I think we ended up having 13 kicks. Yeah, they just decide whoever they want to go with from there. And that could be a bunch of different reasons besides just the workout."

Patterson told reporters that when the Dolphins called for the tryout, he was leaving church and getting groceries for dinner.

"We were just back in Arizona, me and my wife, our baby, and just enjoying time with family back home," he said.

The Outlook

Jason Sanders has been a reliable choice at kicker for the Dolphins since 2018, not missing a game since he was drafted out of New Mexico in the seventh round. He likely will get his job back when he returns from the hip injury that has him sidelined, regardless of Patterson's performance in the interim.

The ambiguity of job status could be nerve-wracking for someone in Patterson's shoes, but he told reporters the key to handling that pressure is to "not think about the long term."

"It doesn't really matter," he said. "We have a game this week, we had a practice today, at the end of the day I go out there, do my job, make kicks, and things figure themselves out. I'm not concerned about the future too much. I'm mostly just thinking about playing the game this week, to be honest. I'm really thankful to be here. I'm thankful for Miami giving me the opportunity, I'm thankful for the guys being great to me. ... I've been really appreciative and I'm really just ready for this weekend."

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