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Injuries have continued to run rampant through the Miami Dolphins camp throughout the preseason and headed into Week 1.
ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Monday that former All-Pro kicker Jason Sanders is expected to be sidelined for four to five weeks with a hip injury. With no backup kicker on the roster, Miami will now have to search for a temporary replacement while Sanders is out.
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Sanders has spent all seven seasons of his NFL career with Miami, and this will be the first time he is expected to miss games due to an injury. A 92.3% make percentage on field goals and 100% on extra points earned him All-Pro honors in 2020.
Sanders struggled a bit last season with extra points, as he had a career low 92.9% in that department. Field goals weren’t a problem, as his 90.2% was his best on field goals since his All-Pro season.
Miami will need to find a replacement for the first few weeks of the season, and there is already one name being floated. Pittsburgh Steelers backup kicker Ben Sauls is reportedly an option for Miami.
Sauls never had much of a true chance to crack Pittsburgh’s roster with the veteran Chris Boswell being as good as he ever has been. Now, with the injury to Sanders, Sauls to the Dolphins makes perfect sense for the beginning weeks of the season.
Miami could also wait until Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline and then roam through the waiver wire to acquire its temporary kicker. Regardless of who it may be, the Dolphins’ choice for their new kicker will only be temporary until Sanders is ready to return.
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