Dolphins training camp preview: Specialists are mostly new to the team
· Yahoo Sports
The Miami Dolphins summoned their rookies back to their facilities on Tuesday to prepare for training camp at their Baptist Health Training Complex, and their veterans will follow next Tuesday, July 28.
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While many position groups have plenty of players returning from 2025, Miami's specialists are almost all completely new, as they let a kicker, punter and long snapper leave in free agency.
Before training camp starts, let's take a look at the four Dolphins that currently make up the specialist room.
K Riley Patterson
Patterson played at Memphis from 2017-20 before going undrafted in 2021. Since then, he's had stops with eight different teams, making 87.4% of his field goals (90-of-103) and 96.6% of his extra points (143-of-148).
As the lone holdover in the room, Patterson may have a small leg up in the competition. In 17 games filling in for Jason Sanders in 2025, he made 93.1% of his field goals (27-of-29) and 97.1% of his extra points (34-of-35).
K Zane Gonzalez
Gonzalez played at Arizona State from 2013-16, earning All-Pac-12 honors three times and All-American honors once. He also won the Lou Groza Award for best collegiate kicker in his final year. Since the Cleveland Browns took him in the seventh round (No. 224 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft, he's also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.
Over seven seasons, the 31-year-old has made 81% of his field goals (115-of-142) and 95.3% of his extra points (163-of-171). He worked with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor in Carolina and Cleveland.
P Bradley Pinion
Pinoin played at Clemson from 2012-14 before the San Francisco 49ers took him in the fifth round (No. 165 overall) of the 2015 NFL draft. After four years with the 49ers, he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the last four years with the Atlanta Falcons.
The one-time Super Bowl champion has averaged 44.5 yards per punt and 40.0 net yards per punt in his 11-year career with 36.1% of his boots getting downed inside the 20-yard line. Without competition, it appears the job is his for now.
LS Tucker Addington
Addington played at Sam Houston State from 2016-19 before going undrafted in 2020. After two seasons out of football, he played in the USFL for the Houston Gamblers and eventually earned a spot back in the NFL. Since 2022, he's spent time with seven different teams, including a three-week stint with the Dolphins back in 2024.
Miami allowed Joe Cardona to sign with the Los Angeles Rams this offseason, and while they brought in Taybor Pepper to compete for the job back in March, Addington had been the only long snapper on the roster since Pepper's release in May.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins training camp preview: Specialists are mostly new to the team