Savaiinaea Eager to Show Veterans They Can Count on Him

The Miami Dolphins’ offensive line hasn’t been known as a tough, physical group. 

The prevailing narrative around the team is that it is soft and unable to run the ball up the middle against good defenses. The film mostly backs that up, too, but the Dolphins are trying to change that, and trading up in the second round for Arizona guard Jonah Savaiinaea was a step in the right direction. 

Despite being penciled in as one of the Dolphins’ starters, Savaiinaea is coming into rookie minicamp with the idea of competing for his spot. 

“Man, this is like a dream come true,” Savaiinaea said. “Just being in the league and knowing that this is our job now. It’s not like a regular practice; you’re here to take someone’s job. So just having that mindset and being in this organization, being around great people. I’m just excited to get going.” 

The mentality of viewing practice as an opportunity to take someone’s job is the type of thinking the Dolphins need to change the narrative around the offensive line. 

However, those are just words. Does Savaiinaea back it up on film? 

Savaiinaea’s Physical Mentality 

Although he hasn’t played in the NFL yet, Savaiinaea’s college tape shows a hyper-aggressive run blocker who looks to drive defenders off the ball and finish them into the ground on every snap. 

Many of Savaiinaea's best plays look something like this one against TCU. These types of plays were mostly missing for the Dolphins last season, especially once right tackle Austin Jackson got injured. 

Although Savaiinaea has the reputation of a tough, road-grading blocker, he knows he needs to prove himself all over again at the NFL level. 

“Obviously, we just got here. I haven’t done anything yet,” Savaiinaea said. “So obviously I’m trying to prove myself to the vets that they can count on me, just earning their trust, because they don’t care if you’re drafted or undrafted or you just got signed; they want to see you putting in that winning mentality here.

“We want guys that want to win here, so just being able to be a sponge and soak in all the information from them. Taking a look around, who are my vets, looking at what they’re doing and just taking it from them, that’s what is really important for me.”

Savaiinaea Is Just One Run Game Upgrade

If Savaiinaea wants to learn from a veteran, his best bet is to stick with James Daniels. Daniels, who the team signed from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, will likely be Miami’s other starting guard. 

Like Savaiinaea, Daniels should be a significant upgrade in the running game. He’s not quite as physical as the Arizona product, but he’s got plenty of strength to move defenders off the line. 

The Dolphins also will have a new starting left tackle this season. Patrick Paul will replace Terron Armstead, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason. Nobody is saying Paul will be better than Armstead. However, Paul is much more of a mauler in the running game. 

Along with Savaiinaea, Daniels and Paul have an opportunity to change the Dolphins’ offensive line. Savaiinaea isn’t a stranger to helping to flip narratives, either. One of the reasons he stuck around at Arizona was to help that program get back to relevance. 

“That’s just how I got brought up, just being loyal to my family,” Savaiinaea said about staying at Arizona. “When I got to Arizona, that group of guys that I came in with, the Class of 2022, those were my brothers. 

“So when it came to my junior year, when Coach (Jedd) Fisch left, I didn’t want to leave what we started building. So that was a big factor in why I wanted to stay, just to be with my brothers and the guys I started my career with.”

Arizona struggled in 2024, but Savaiinaea was a huge reason the team finished 10-3 in 2023. That was the team’s first 10-win season since 2014, following the team's 6-23 finish from 2020 through 2022. 

One offensive lineman isn’t responsible for turning around an entire team, but pairing Savaiinaea with like-minded offensive linemen on a roster with star skill players is a good way to finally end Miami’s “soft” narrative. 

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