The Miami Dolphins’ 0-4 start has plenty of problems attached to it, but the work being done by their two guards is still a key part of the bigger picture. Rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor and second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea are being watched closely as Miami tries to sort out its future during a rebuild, and Week 4 offered another look at where each player stands.
Against the Vikings on Sunday, both linemen saw their first real dip in the numbers. Proctor played 39 snaps and finished with a 51.2 overall grade, including a 48.6 mark in run blocking and a 64.9 in pass protection.
Savaiinaea also logged 39 snaps and came away with a 49.5 overall grade, along with a 44.6 in run blocking and a 77.5 in pass protection. The small snap total matters here - it was one of those games where the sample size is too thin to treat the grades like gospel.
That caution matters even more because Minnesota brought heat all day. The Dolphins also had to deal with an aggressive defensive front, and left tackle Patrick Paul had two holding penalties plus another that was declined. It was the kind of matchup that could muddy any clean read on the interior line.
Still, the season-long patterns are hard to ignore. Proctor opened with a strong 71.2 overall grade at the Raiders, then dipped to 62.0 against the 49ers, 57.5 versus the Chiefs, and 51.2 in Minnesota. His run-blocking numbers have fallen from 79.0 to 72.4 to 51.1 to 48.6, while his pass protection has bounced around more, including a 71.3 against Kansas City before the 64.9 on Sunday.
Savaiinaea’s path looks different, and maybe more encouraging in a few spots. He started with a 47.6 overall grade at the Raiders, jumped to 65.9 at the 49ers, checked in at 56.6 against the Chiefs, and posted a 49.5 against the Vikings.
In pass protection, his grades have gone from 38.2 to 46.1 to 47.5 to 77.5. That’s the kind of uptick that stands out, even in a limited week.
There’s also a broader conversation around both players that goes beyond one Sunday in Minneapolis. Kyle Crabbs of LockedOn Dolphins and AtoZSports gave Proctor a B in his October 6 first-quarter report and called him a player who “moves the needle.”
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald also weighed in on October 6, noting that Savaiinaea hasn’t given up a sack yet and describing him as a “clearly better player than he was a year ago.”
Alain Poupart of Sports Illustrated said on October 4 in a mailbag that “there is no question that Savaiinaea has looked better early in his second season than he did as a rookie,” and added that, even with work still needed in pass protection, “he has looked good in the running game and there has been a clear improvement.”
Offensive line coach Eric Smith took a more measured view after the Vikings game, grading both players lower than he had in previous weeks. He stayed optimistic about Proctor’s long-term ceiling, pointing to the rookie’s physical traits and saying, “we’re going to have a really good player here.”
Smith’s concerns were more about communication, processing and run-game execution than raw talent. With Savaiinaea, Smith called it his lowest-graded game of the season, but said the second-year jump is real and expects him to rebound in the coming weeks.
Four games in, the overall direction still looks positive. Proctor continues to draw praise for his upside, and Savaiinaea keeps showing signs that he’s not the same player he was as a rookie. Miami will get another test Sunday against the Bengals.
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Chase had been working through concussion protocol, while Higgins was dealing with groin and neck issues, leaving their availability as the main storyline entering the matchup. Their presence gives the Bengals a much more complete offensive look, and for Miami it means a secondary that was preparing for a potentially thinner challenge now has to deal with two of the leagues most disruptive targets. [Read more 🡒]