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The Miami Dolphins took Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, and during his rookie season, they moved him from left guard after he spent his collegiate career on the right side.
The results were disastrous for both Miami and Savaiinaea. While the rookie started all 17 games in 2025, Pro Football Focus graded him as not only the worst guard in the league last year, but he was also the worst guard to play since the service launched back in 2006.
Now, heading into 2026, Savaiinaea is moving back to his natural position between Aaron Brewer and Austin Jackson, and through the first week of training camp, he impressed head coach Jeff Hafley.
"I don't know if he's aware of [the PFF grades]. I'm not aware of it," Hafley said. "Here's where we're at with Jonah, and I say this knowing that it's only three days. Jonah has obviously taken a lot of criticism. We switched his position. Is it going to help him? Is he more comfortable on this side? It's hard to play o-line Year 1, and he played a position that he hadn't been playing a whole lot of, on the side he hadn't played, right? He had his ups and downs last year, just like most rookies. It's a hard league to play as a rookie. I think everybody understands that, especially on the o-line, there's going to be ups and downs. We switched his position to the right side. Is he more comfortable there? Is he more confident there? I don't know. You gotta ask him those questions.
"All I know is this. He has been a pleasant surprise to me in how he's been in these first three days. I think his confidence is at an all-time high. I think he's learned through going through a really hard year. I think he's had a really good offseason. I think his mind is in a great spot, and he's played good football for three days. All I want is for him to believe in himself and continue to progress and tune out everything that happened last year because every one of us in our lives has had a tough moment, a tough day, a tough year. You gotta put that behind you, man. You gotta move on. I don't want to hear any more about Jonah last year just because it's over. Let's judge Jonah on everything that he's doing today, moving forward, and see how he does. I think that's fair. I hope he's not worried about what anyone else has said about him in the past, and he can just move on from that."
Savaiinaea plays a key role on the offensive line in 2026. We've seen what Brewer, Jackson and Patrick Paul can do at their respective positions. How Savaiinaea and rookie Kadyn Proctor play at guard could be the difference between a top group in the league and a struggling one.
Luckily, it appears Hafley is giving him a blank slate to prove himself.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Key Dolphins lineman has been a 'pleasant surprise' to coach in camp
Continue reading...
The results were disastrous for both Miami and Savaiinaea. While the rookie started all 17 games in 2025, Pro Football Focus graded him as not only the worst guard in the league last year, but he was also the worst guard to play since the service launched back in 2006.
Now, heading into 2026, Savaiinaea is moving back to his natural position between Aaron Brewer and Austin Jackson, and through the first week of training camp, he impressed head coach Jeff Hafley.
"I don't know if he's aware of [the PFF grades]. I'm not aware of it," Hafley said. "Here's where we're at with Jonah, and I say this knowing that it's only three days. Jonah has obviously taken a lot of criticism. We switched his position. Is it going to help him? Is he more comfortable on this side? It's hard to play o-line Year 1, and he played a position that he hadn't been playing a whole lot of, on the side he hadn't played, right? He had his ups and downs last year, just like most rookies. It's a hard league to play as a rookie. I think everybody understands that, especially on the o-line, there's going to be ups and downs. We switched his position to the right side. Is he more comfortable there? Is he more confident there? I don't know. You gotta ask him those questions.
"All I know is this. He has been a pleasant surprise to me in how he's been in these first three days. I think his confidence is at an all-time high. I think he's learned through going through a really hard year. I think he's had a really good offseason. I think his mind is in a great spot, and he's played good football for three days. All I want is for him to believe in himself and continue to progress and tune out everything that happened last year because every one of us in our lives has had a tough moment, a tough day, a tough year. You gotta put that behind you, man. You gotta move on. I don't want to hear any more about Jonah last year just because it's over. Let's judge Jonah on everything that he's doing today, moving forward, and see how he does. I think that's fair. I hope he's not worried about what anyone else has said about him in the past, and he can just move on from that."
Savaiinaea plays a key role on the offensive line in 2026. We've seen what Brewer, Jackson and Patrick Paul can do at their respective positions. How Savaiinaea and rookie Kadyn Proctor play at guard could be the difference between a top group in the league and a struggling one.
Luckily, it appears Hafley is giving him a blank slate to prove himself.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Key Dolphins lineman has been a 'pleasant surprise' to coach in camp
Continue reading...
