The Miami Dolphins should have a solid offensive line whether or not Jonah Savaiinaea overcomes his historically bad rookie season.
Ex-Dolphins GM Chris Grier was criticized throughout his tenure for not addressing the o-line often enough. His rebuttal was to trade up in the second round for Savaiinaea in the 2025 draft, only to watch the Arizona product get steamrolled week after week at left guard.
Grier's successor, Jon-Eric Sullivan, kicked off his 13-member maiden draft class with Alabama's Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick. Proctor will take Savaiinaea's spot at left guard, pushing the latter back to his preferred side of the line where he played well in college.
But Savaiinaea's draft status and shift to his more natural position doesn't mean his spot in the starting five is guaranteed.
Miami Dolphins newcomer Jamaree Salyer could easily beat out Jonah Savaiinaea at right guard
Salyer starred at the University of Georgia and hit the ground running as a rookie for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. Tasked with protecting Justin Herbert's blind side, Salyer performed quite well at the left tackle spot.
For whatever reason, that didn't last. Salyer struggled thereafter and has since been converted to more of a utility player. His career snap count from PFF is as follows: 1,295 reps at left tackle (988 of them in 2022), 20 at left guard, 43 at right tackle, and 1,561 at right guard.
Salyer was only a sixth-round pick, yet he's flashed more high-end play in the NFL than Savaiinaea appears capable of to date. Even the coveted Year 2 leap from Savaiinaea would only get him to fringe replacement-level starter status. That's how bad he was in 2025.
Among all the stopgap, one-year free agents Miami's new leadership brought aboard this offseason, Salyer may be the most slept-on.
Look at the defensive end position for an instance of contrast. David Ojabo or Josh Uche will start opposite Chop Robinson by literal default. At safety, fifth-round rookie Michael Taaffe has a legit chance to beat out Lonnie Johnson Jr.
This new regime and head coach Jeff Hafley don't strike me as the type to stick with a player just because of where he was drafted. Hafley has every incentive to win as soon as possible. Owner Stephen Ross ain't getting any younger, and the Dolphins have a long way to go before they can challenge the likes of New England an Bufflao for the AFC East crown.
Plus, if Hafley and Sullivan want to do right by their new quarterback Malik Willis, putting Salyer on the field over Savaiinaea would, in all likelihood, keep Willis out of harm's way more often.
Savaiinaea was just the worst guard in football by PFF's metrics. He had a 14.1 pass-blocking grade. Willis had better have his head on a swivel if Savaiinaea is blocking for him!
Put it this way: If Salyer can't push Savaiinaea to start at right guard, you have to wonder if he should even be on the roster.
We'll see what o-line combination Hafley wants to roll with once everyone reports to training camp. At the very least, Salyer should be splitting reps with Savaiinaea early on. What's to lose by at least trying?
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