The kicking carousel in the NFL can move in strange ways, as illustrated by the sequence of events that led Cody Parkey to the Dolphins this season.
The Dolphins once cut Caleb Sturgis in order to make Andrew Franks their kicker and Sturgis wound up replacing Parkey as the kicker in Philadelphia after Parkey was injured in 2015. Parkey moved on to the Browns last year and got beat out this summer, which meant he was free to join the Dolphins and push Franks out of a job in Miami.
Playing musical chairs worked out for the Dolphins last Sunday. Parkey made four field goals in his Dolphins debut, including three in the final 17:43 to erase a 17-10 Chargers lead and send the Dolphins home as 19-17 winners in their delayed opener to the season.
Parkey also made an extra point in a performance that led the NFL to make him the AFC special teams player of the week and likely stopped the carousel from spinning again in Miami in the immediate future.