Two days of Miami Dolphins training camp are already in the books, and rookie guard Jonah Savaiinaea is already starting to shine while another young player is taking control of his own job.
There are a lot of things to love about Dolphins training camp so far. Erik Ezukanma looked good in Day 1 sessions, while Kader Kohou is making a case to play inside or outside in the secondary. Despite the painful end to Artie Burns' career with Miami, others are stepping up.
Dolphins fans are going to love what they see when the first open practices take place this weekend, especially when they start watching the offensive line.
During Day 2 drills, Savaiinaea apparently schooled veteran defensive tackle Zach Sieler. According to MiamiDolphins.com's Travis Wingfield, Savaiinaea looked really good against Miami's best inline defender.
"Jonah Savaiinaea moved Zach Sieler off the ball maybe more than I've seen anybody ever accomplish in a camp practice."
This is great news to hear regarding the Dolphins' second-round pick. Miami needs Savaiinaea to become an anchor inside next to Aaron Brewer. His play will be important this year as the Dolphins hope to have fixed most of their offensive line issues.
Patrick Paul continues to look good early replacing Terron Armstead on the Miami Dolphins offensive line
While Savaiinaea is making a strong case for his job status at guard, second-year left tackle Patrick Paul is making a strong case for Miami's job at left tackle.
Paul has been getting good reviews from some of the local media, who have also reported that he looks bigger (if that's possible). He recently told the media that he and Savaiinaea had been working out together this past offseason.
Wingfield also made notes regarding the Dolphins' front seven looking dominant on Thursday. Specifically, he singled out the trio of edge rushers, Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson. He also said that Jordyn Brooks looks like he is in mid-season form.
Phillips is someone we have been keeping an eye on since Miami's OTAs. Wingfield had something to say about him as well.
"Jordan Phillips looks like a problem to me. He gets off the ball so quick and then goes to the power and strength to overwhelm guys. He reset the LOS a couple of times."
The Dolphins are going to need the front seven of the defense to have a big impact this year to mask the potential problems in the secondary.