Minkah Fitzpatrick isn’t the only former Dolphins All-Pro who should have Jets fans excited

As was expected of him in March, former Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders is trying to earn a starting job at MetLife Stadium this summer.

The difference is the uniform, though. Sanders, who missed all of last season with a hip injury, initially signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants when free agency began. However, the Giants cut him in early June to clear room for multiple receivers, most notably Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Sanders didn’t last unemployed for long, and the Jets quickly snagged their former AFC East rival. As a result, the Younghoe Koo experiment ended before it could ever truly take off, and Sanders had the opportunity to reunite with ex-Dolphins teammate and new Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. 

Things have been mostly good for Sanders in his battle with Cade York thus far. The 2020 All-Pro went 7-of-8 during Saturday’s practice, perThe Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, including drilling field goals from 55 and 60 yards out. His only miss came on a 55-yarder that hit the right upright. 

York made six of his seven kicks, with on-site reporters estimating that his one miss was roughly 52 yards out.

Does Jason Sanders have the advantage over Cade York in the New York Jets’ kicking battle?

Sanders’ strong Saturday performance came only days after he turned heads with a missed 47-yarder. Nothing gets the blood flowing among football fans on social media more than reading about a kicker only making five of his six field goal tries during training camp.

The 30-year-old Sanders has a proven track record, making 84.6% of his field goals and 96.6% of extra points during his seven seasons in Miami. He was also trending upward before his hip injury, having gone 37-of-41 (90.2%) on field goals in 2019. Jets fans will be happy to know he went 12-of-14 from at least 50 yards.

Those are a lot of numbers, but kicker is one of the few positions where the counting stats still truly matter. It’s going to sound cliché, but every kick matters. How many times do we see a team ruthlessly cut their veteran kicker midseason, even when they’ve spent years with them? Koo learned that firsthand with the Falcons last September.

For now, it’ll be one day at a time for Sanders and York. There is no indication that the Jets intend to add a third kicker into the mix before the Aug. 14 preseason opener against the Buccaneers.

Assuming that he does win the job, Sanders will need to wait a little longer before getting his first crack at revenge. The Jets don’t play the Dolphins until Oct. 25 at MetLife Stadium.

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