Miami’s offensive line took another hit in the Week 9 review, and the two guards at the center of this weekly check-in came out with very different kinds of questions attached to them.
The Dolphins lost 19-9 in a game where the offense barely crossed midfield, so there wasn’t much on tape to feel good about. That said, the development of rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor and second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea still matters. Week to week, their growth is part of the bigger picture, even when the team’s overall performance is ugly.
The numbers tell part of the story. Proctor has been on the field for every snap in the games listed here, and his grades have bounced around, from a 71.2 against the Raiders to a 72.7 against the Bengals, with a 57.3 against the Lions.
Savaiinaea’s chart has been more uneven, and the most recent stretch has been rougher. He was at 45.8 overall against Detroit after a 49.7 against the Patriots and a 49.4 against the Jets.
What stood out most in the Lions game was how often Detroit was able to stress the unit. Alain Poupart over at Sports Illustrated called the offensive line the team’s most disappointing position group based on PFF rankings (I know, I know):
Brewer is ranked 17th out of 36 qualifying centers.
Paul is ranked 47th out of 71 tackles.
Jackson is ranked 71st out of 71 tackles. That’s not great, Bob.
Proctor is ranked 35th among 75 guards.
Jonah Savaiinaea is 69th among 75 guards.
For Proctor, the encouraging part is that the mistakes still look fixable. The tape showed a rookie getting caught too flat on a second-quarter power play and missing his linebacker assignment entirely.
But there was also a snap later in the game where he read a slanting defensive tackle on a trap concept and stopped on a dime to seal the block. He missed some second-level blocks, but he also played with real force and landed a few highlight blocks.
The talent that made him a first-round pick is still showing up, and the errors look more like growing pains than anything else.
Savaiinaea’s situation feels more uneasy. Detroit kept putting five men on the line of scrimmage and forcing him into space, and he had a hard time handling it, especially when defenders worked inside.
On one power play, his indecision led him to pass up the defender he was supposed to block, and the run lost its timing completely. After a strong first three weeks, his recent film has started to resemble his 2025 rookie season, when he ranked last among all guards.
It’s still too early to make a final judgment, but the concern is there that he could end up as a below-average starter instead of the long-term answer the Dolphins were hoping for. Maybe we’ll see more of that early-season tape against the Colts.
In Other News...
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For Miami fans, the awkward part is how easily this game could ripple beyond the AFC South and into the 2027 draft order. With the Colts' pick situation already tied to New York, the stakes of a single November game suddenly stretch into a bigger picture that could leave the Jets with even more to work with, which is exactly the kind of draft math Dolphins supporters would rather not have to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Roster Shuffle Puts Three Names Under Pressure Again
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Gonzalez brings plenty of NFL mileage with him after bouncing around the league since being drafted in 2017, and he has already seen game action for Miami this season, appearing in two games and making two of three field-goal attempts. The bigger question now is how long this arrangement lasts and whether the Dolphins are simply buying time with familiar faces, or preparing for another move if the kicking situation changes again. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Saturday Moves Hint At Bigger Week 10 Concerns
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For a team trying to steady itself heading into Indianapolis, the additions point to depth concerns that go beyond one game-day checklist. The Colts made their own roster moves too, activating defensive end Arden Key off injured reserve and adjusting elsewhere, but Miamis sequence of decisions suggests the Dolphins are still sorting through the ripple effects of a roster that has been thinned in key spots. [Read more 🡒]