Dolphins bring in kickers for tryouts amidst Riley Patterson struggles

Posted by Admin September 22, 2026 NFL

Miami Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson isn’t off to the greatest start in 2026. He missed field goal tries in both week one against the Las Vegas Raiders and week two against the San Francisco 49ers. Following the loss in week two, head coach Jeff Hafley expressed his frustration with the missed opportunities for points.

“Yeah, we gotta hit field goals,” said Hafley. “That’s two misses in two games. We are counting on him to make those kicks.“

On Tuesday, Hafley backed up his words with action when the Dolphins brought in three kickers for tryouts — Chris Freeman, Tanner Brown and Lucas Havrisik.

Freeman played his college ball at UConn before signing with the Houston Texans this offseason. He was cut from the squad just two days later.

Brown went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in the NFL and the Louisville Kings of the United Football League. He has never attempted a kick in the National Football League, but made 25 of 28 field goal tries with a long of 60 yards with Louisville earlier this year.

Havrisik has spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers in the NFL while also spending time with the Arlington Renegades of the UFL. He is 19 of 24 on field goal tries in the NFL — with a long make of 61 yards.

Miami has not signed any of these kickers as of the time of this writing, but if Patterson continues to struggle in 2026, his replacement could be inked in short order. We will continue to keep you updated on all things Miami Dolphins as the season rolls on.