The Miami Dolphins have long been notorious for their weak offensive line play. Whether it be due to oft-injured veterans like Terron Armstead and James Daniels missing time or underwhelming former top picks like Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg failing to live up to their draft billing, the result has been the same. Miami's offensive line getting handled in tough games against good teams is about as much of a guarantee as death and taxes.
Fans were ecstatic last year when the Dolphins opted to trade up in the second round to nab Arizona's mammoth offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea. The price was steep, but the logic was clear: Savaiinaea, boasting a 6'4", 324-pound frame, fit every prototype for a powerful guard at the NFL level. The honeymoon phase came to an abrupt end when the bullets started flying.
Savaiinaea struggled mightily all season long. As fate would have it, he was healthy enough to play 100% of the team's offensive snaps. Whether his presence on the field was to the team's benefit, however, is up for debate. Pro Football Focus assessed his performance at a truly nauseating 28.4 grade, ranking 81st out of 81 qualifiers in 2025.
The latest development from Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan underscores the difficult reality that should be taken into consideration when assessing Savaiinaea's rookie year. See, he played 36 career games in college, starting 15 at right guard, 16 at right tackle, and five at left tackle. Naturally, the Dolphins slotted him in at left guard as a rookie because, well, reasons.
The Miami Dolphins will be moving Jonah Savaiinaea back to his more comfortable position in hopes of salvaging his career
Appearing on 104.3 WQAM's The Joe Rose Show, Sullivan made the team's forthcoming approach crystal clear:
"We will fortify and move Jonah (Savaiinaea) to the right side and off we go. But it’s moving pieces all the time. We want to get the best five out there. That’s probably how it looks Day 1, and we’ll go from there."
If you're wondering why the ousted braintrust of head coach Mike McDaniel and offensive line coach Butch Barry opted to slot him in at a position he had no experience with, you ought to ask them. Just remember, they're on a three-hour time difference in their new digs out in Los Angeles.
While many have written off Savaiinaea, it's refreshing to hear Sullivan invoke his name in the team's future plans. Despite our microwave society, it was just about a year ago that scouts were waxing poetic about his pro prospects. For perspective's sake, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had high expectations for Savaiinaea, with a prescient observation that it could take some time:
"[Savaiinaea is] built like a right guard but has valuable protection experience as a collegiate tackle ... He’s very wide and can engulf smaller opponents as a base blocker while sealing off double teams and down blocks. His feet often deaden on contact, creating opportunities for defenders to leak through his edges in both the run and pass games. Savaiinaea’s size works to his advantage, and he could become a serviceable starting guard in time."
It appears to be an admitted long shot for Savaiinaea to turn things around in a meaningful way after the growing pains he displayed as a rookie. Regardless, a move back to a position of experience is a step in the right direction.
Comfort is an underrated aspect for an offensive lineman. Former Dolphins lineman Josh Sitton said it hilariously best when, just after signing with Miami in 2018, he described switching from right to left guard as: "trying to wipe your [behind] with your opposite hand." Now, if that doesn't paint a needlessly clear picture, I don't know what will.
The moral of the story is: don't count out Jonah Savaiinaea just yet. There remains gobs of unrealized potential with the former second-round pick, now it's up to the new staff to coax it out.
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