Jonah Savaiinaea’s first season with the Miami Dolphins was rough enough on its own. Now it turns out it was even uglier than the numbers originally suggested.
Miami drafted the Arizona offensive lineman in the second round last year, taking him No. 37 overall, and then shifted him to the left side after free agent James Daniels arrived to handle right guard. Savaiinaea accepted the assignment, but the results never came close to matching the opportunity.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 28.4 overall grade, which already placed him last among qualified guards in the league. This week, though, PFF said that mark is actually the lowest single-season grade for any guard since the site began tracking in 2006.
“Savaiinaea had the opportunity to start as a rookie for Miami after being the team’s second-round pick, but the results were far from desired,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “He produced the lowest single-season PFF grade for a starting guard ever, and by a sizable margin at that. The Arizona product posted a 14.1 PFF pass-blocking grade after being credited with a league-high eight sacks and 45 pressures, and his 37.3 PFF run-blocking grade was also second-worst among qualifiers.”
The good news for Miami is that Savaiinaea is headed back to the right side for 2026, his natural spot, after the Dolphins used their first-round pick in this year’s draft on Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.
There hasn’t been any contact work yet, but people inside the building have said Savaiinaea already looks and feels more comfortable back at right guard.
In Other News...
Dolphins Fans Have Every Reason To Question This Edge Addition
David Ojabo is headed to Miami on a one-year deal for the 2026 season, giving the Dolphins another veteran edge option after his run with Baltimore stalled out. The former Raven appeared in 14 games last year, but his role never grew much beyond spot duty, and the lack of impact was enough for Baltimore to move on rather than bring him back.
For Miami, the signing looks more like another layer of competition than a clear answer. Ojabo is expected to battle for a depth role on a defensive end group that already has several new faces, with the Dolphins trying to sort out who fits best behind the top options and who can handle meaningful snaps if injuries or inconsistency hit the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
This Dolphins Camp Could Decide Everything For A Handful Of Young Players
With Dolphins training camp set to open soon, the first real sorting of the roster is about to begin, starting with rookies reporting July 21 and veterans following a week later. For a handful of young players, this is the stretch where offseason optimism either starts to look real or gets pushed back another year. Greg Dulcich, Jason Marshall Jr., Chop Robinson, Malik Washington and Kenneth Grant all enter camp with something to prove, and each one has a different path to carving out a larger role as Miami looks ahead to the 2026 season.
Dulcich has a chance to become one of the more productive pass-catching surprises on the roster, while Marshall is getting another look on the boundary after spending most of last season in the nickel. Grant, meanwhile, is trying to steady his footing after a rough first year, and the same camp that could help him reset could also expose how much work remains. For Miami, the bigger question is not just who flashes in July, but which of these young players can turn a strong camp into a real place in the teams plans. [Read more 🡒]