Breaking Down the State of the Dolphins Offensive Line

New Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spoke on the current state of the team during media appearances at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona this week, and his comments on the offensive line are important to note.

Sullivan tagged Patrick Paul and Aaron Brewer as Miami’s building blocks, stating “I like a lot of pieces on our offensive line — our left tackle and center especially.”

This shouldn’t be a surprise to many. Paul is quickly ascending into a tier of top-end young tackles, and Brewer landed on the second-team AP All-Pro list for his 2025 campaign.

Brewer's contract is up after the 2026 season, and based on Sullivan’s comments, it looks like Brewer could be getting an extension sooner rather than later.

When discussing the other pieces, however, we saw a candid version of the Dolphins GM that is a stark contrast from the previous regime.

“There’s going to be competition elsewhere,” Sullivan said regarding the other three spots on Miami’s offensive line.

The players who currently occupy those spots are Jonah Savaiinaea, who Miami drafted in the second round in 2025; Jamaree Salyer, who they signed as a free agent this offseason; and Austin Jackson, who has been with the team since 2020 and restructured his contract this offseason.

Savaiinaea had an up-and-down rookie season, starting 17 games at a position he didn’t play in college: left guard.

Sullivan acknowledged Savaiineaa's struggles directly, telling the Dolphins reporters who traveled to Arizona that he has to be more consistent, and with the aforementioned comments of competition at his spot, 2026 will be a crucial year for the former Arizona Wildcats star.

As for the other two spots, Sullivan said that Miami has “some questions we need to get answered” and that Jackson “needs to stay healthy.”

Jackson has played in eight games or less in three of his last four seasons, including six in 2025. When on the field, he’s a solid starter who provides juice to the run game, but we haven’t seen a remotely full season from him since 2023.

What does this all mean?

In Sullivan’s first media availability since truly evaluating the roster, he showcased a level of criticism and concern that directly contrasts the words of the previous regime.

Draft pedigree was a major part of the way Chris Grier operated. Liam Eichenberg is a prime example. Miami’s second-round pick in 2021 had significantly more opportunities than his play warranted, in hopes that he would become a semblance of the player he was at Notre Dame.

With this new contingent, that doesn’t seem to be continuing. No more comments about how fans are more worried than the team is, but rather legitimate conversations about each player and where the team can get better.

The state of the offensive line has become a symbol of Miami’s absence of playoff wins since 2000. The Dolphins' lack of consistency in the trenches contributed to the narrative that they couldn’t win in the cold, and directly correlated to losses in high-stakes games.

So hearing that there’s an emphasis on rooting out this problem should be a breath of fresh air. Miami already has made a couple moves, and they have seven top 100 picks in the 2026. There is ample opportunity to infuse this group with young, high-end talent, and it wouldn’t be shocking to anyone, especially after Sullivan’s comments, to see them go in that direction.