The Dolphins don’t need Jonah Savaiinaea to hold onto a starting job just because he was a high draft pick. If anything, Miami would probably welcome a real fight at right guard, because Jamaree Salyer looks like the kind of veteran who can make that decision a lot harder than expected.
Savaiinaea’s first season was rough enough to get labeled historically bad, and Miami already moved on from the idea of keeping him at left guard. Ex-Dolphins GM Chris Grier took heat for not doing enough for the offensive line, then tried to answer it by trading up in the second round for Savaiinaea in the 2025 draft.
That move didn’t pay off. The Arizona product was overwhelmed at left guard, and now he’s been shifted back to the side he preferred in college.
But the new setup doesn’t hand him the job. Jon-Eric Sullivan opened his 13-member first draft class by taking Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick, and Proctor is set to take Savaiinaea’s old spot at left guard. That leaves Savaiinaea back on the right side, where he was better in college, but still very much in a competition.
Salyer is the name that could turn that competition into a problem Miami actually wants. He was a standout at Georgia and made an immediate impression as a rookie with the Chargers in 2022, when he was pushed into protecting Justin Herbert’s blind side and held up well at left tackle.
The shine faded after that, and his career has since shifted toward a utility role. According to PFF, his snap totals break down like this: 1,295 at left tackle, 20 at left guard, 43 at right tackle, and 1,561 at right guard.
Even as a sixth-round pick, Salyer has shown more NFL quality than Savaiinaea has so far. And Savaiinaea’s rookie year was so poor that even a Year 2 jump would only get him to fringe replacement-level starter status.
That’s why Salyer stands out among Miami’s one-year stopgap additions. He may be the most overlooked of the bunch, but he also looks like one of the clearest candidates to force a real decision.
The Dolphins are already showing they won’t just hand jobs out based on draft status. At defensive end, David Ojabo or Josh Uche is expected to start opposite Chop Robinson by default. At safety, fifth-round rookie Michael Taaffe has a legitimate shot to beat out Lonnie Johnson Jr.
That approach fits Jeff Hafley’s mindset. He doesn’t look like a coach who will cling to a player simply because of where he was drafted, and he has every reason to push for wins right away. Stephen Ross is still the owner, and Miami still has a long climb before it can seriously challenge New England and Buffalo for the AFC East.
There’s also the simple quarterback factor. If Hafley and Sullivan want to protect Malik Willis, Salyer gives them a better chance to do it than Savaiinaea does.
PFF had Savaiinaea as the worst guard in football, and his 14.1 pass-blocking grade was brutal. Willis would be wise to stay alert if Savaiinaea is the one lining up in front of him.
So the bar is clear. If Salyer can’t push Savaiinaea for the right guard job, Miami has to ask a bigger question about Salyer himself.
In Other News...
Dolphins Training Camp Could Wipe Out Chris Griers Draft Legacy
Austin Jackson is the last Miami draft pick from 2020 still standing as training camp opens, and even his place has come with some offseason reshuffling. The Dolphins reworked his contract to create cap room, and while health and durability have been part of the conversation, Jackson is still expected to be part of the plan as the team sorts through a roster that looks very different from the one Chris Grier kept building over the past several years.
What makes this camp so telling is how many of those earlier draft classes are already hanging by a thread. Miamis 2021 group is gone, the 2022 class could be wiped out if Cameron Goode loses his linebacker battle, and even younger names like Malik and Tahj Washington, plus Jaylen Wright, are not locked in despite their pedigree. The 2025 class appears safer for now, but the bigger question is whether this summer becomes the point where Griers draft history is trimmed down to almost nothing before the final roster is even set. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Offense Enters Camp With One Massive Question Hanging Over It
The Dolphins are heading into camp with an offense that looks nothing like the one fans watched a year ago, a reflection of how much turnover has hit the unit in a short span. With Mike McDaniel gone and Bobby Slowik taking over as offensive coordinator, Miami is trying to rebuild its identity while blending in a new quarterback and several fresh faces before the 2026 season.
Slowiks arrival gives the Dolphins a clear direction, but it also puts the spotlight on how quickly the group can come together after so much change around the quarterback room and the skill positions. Camp will now be less about refining an established system and more about figuring out what this version of the offense can actually become, which is exactly why the biggest question still hangs over the whole operation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Just Got A Brutal Reality Check On This Rebuild
The early read on Miamis rebuild is not as bleak as some fans might fear, even if the ceiling still looks limited. With a revamped coaching staff and roster in transition, the Dolphins are being sized up against a schedule that will ask plenty of them right away, and the betting market is already hinting that this team may still scrape together enough to avoid the bottom of the league.
There is at least some cautious optimism baked into the projection, from young offensive pieces to a few structural reasons the offense could be steadier than expected. Still, the bigger question is whether that is enough in a division and matchup slate that leaves little margin for error, and whether Miami can turn a reset year into something more than a long grind toward respectability. [Read more 🡒]