{"id":182490,"date":"2026-05-03T01:28:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T01:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=182490"},"modified":"2026-05-03T01:28:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T01:28:39","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8dolphins-make-a-bold-reset-the-miami-dolphins-are-moving-jonah-savaiinaea-back-to-the-right-side-an-aggressive-move-to-revive-his-trajectory-after-a-brutal-rookie-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=182490","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8DOLPHINS MAKE A BOLD RESET: The Miami Dolphins are moving Jonah Savaiinaea back to the right side\u2014an aggressive move to revive his trajectory after a brutal rookie season."},"content":{"rendered":"
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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\u2019s offensive line getting handled in tough games against good teams is about as much of a guarantee as death and taxes.<\/p>\n

Fans were ecstatic last year when the Dolphins opted to trade up in the second round to nab Arizona\u2019s mammoth offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea. The price was steep, but the logic was clear: Savaiinaea, boasting a 6\u20194\u2033, 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.<\/p>\n

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Savaiinaea struggled\u00a0mightily all season long. As fate would have it, he was healthy enough to play 100% of the team\u2019s offensive snaps. Whether his presence on the field was to the team\u2019s benefit, however, is up for debate. Pro Football Focus assessed his performance at a truly nauseating 28.4 grade, ranking\u00a081st out of 81 qualifiers\u00a0in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"Miami<\/p>\n

The latest development from Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan underscores the difficult reality that should be taken into consideration when assessing Savaiinaea\u2019s 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,\u00a0reasons.<\/p>\n

The Miami Dolphins will be moving Jonah Savaiinaea back to his more comfortable position in hopes of salvaging his career<\/p>\n

Appearing on 104.3 WQAM\u2019s\u00a0The Joe Rose Show, Sullivan made the team\u2019s\u00a0forthcoming approach\u00a0crystal clear:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will fortify and move Jonah (Savaiinaea) to the right side and off we go. But it\u2019s moving pieces all the time. We want to get the best five out there. That\u2019s probably how it looks Day 1, and we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re 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\u2019re on a three-hour time difference in their new digs\u00a0out in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

While many have written off Savaiinaea, it\u2019s refreshing to hear Sullivan invoke his name in the team\u2019s future plans. Despite our microwave society, it was just about a year ago that scouts were waxing poetic about his pro prospects. For perspective\u2019s sake,\u00a0NFL.com\u2019s Lance Zierlein\u00a0had high expectations for Savaiinaea, with a prescient observation that it could take some time:<\/p>\n

\u201c[Savaiinaea is] built like a right guard but has valuable protection experience as a collegiate tackle \u2026 He\u2019s 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\u2019s size works to his advantage, and he could become a serviceable starting guard in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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,\u00a0he described\u00a0switching from right to left guard as:\u00a0\u201ctrying to wipe your [behind] with your opposite hand.\u201d\u00a0Now, if that doesn\u2019t paint a needlessly clear picture, I don\u2019t know what will.<\/p>\n

The moral of the story is: don\u2019t count out Jonah Savaiinaea just yet. There remains gobs of unrealized potential with the former second-round pick, now it\u2019s up to the new staff to coax it out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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