How Jonah Savaiinaea Finally Has Gotten Better

One of the biggest positive developments in recent weeks for the Miami Dolphins has been the improved play of rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea. 

The Dolphins traded up in the second round to select Savaiinaea this offseason and essentially handed him a starting guard spot right away. To say it didn’t go well for most of this season would be an understatement. 

Savaiinaea was a disaster in pass protection, ranking among the lowest-graded guards in the NFL for much of the season. While his run blocking wasn’t quite that bad, it hardly was consistent. 

But things have been looking up for Savaiianea. He’s allowed just three total pressures the last two weeks. That’s a big improvement, given he’s allowed three or more pressures in five games this season. 

“I think it's basically the improvement comes through playing games, right?” Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “A lot of times it's the growth like we talked about all through the year, when you move from one side to the other, and you switch positions. All right, there's gonna be learning that comes with through it.” 

It does make some sense to consider Savaiinaea’s position switch. He played on the left side and at guard in college, but didn’t play left guard at Arizona. 

However, the coaching staff insisted all season that Savaiinaea’s position wasn’t what was holding him back, and the tape agrees. 

Where Savaiinaea Has Improved the Most 

The biggest issue for Savaiinaea in pass protection is that he had a bad habit of throwing his hands early in his set. 

That made him a pretty easy target for any defensive lineman who's seen a thing or two to use an arm-over move to blow by him. All of those super quick pressures he gave up early in the season pretty much followed that exact script. 

Smith mentioned how that can be a common pitfall for a lot of rookies. 

“That's the greatest thing, is that rookies have to understand growth comes from failure, and that's hard because the majority of your career, you were one of the best players,” Smith said. “You go through high school, you're the best player. You go to college, maybe a little bit of adversity.” 

“This is the first level where you're equal, and you might have to play someone who's 32 years old and has been playing for a long time and knows exactly what you're trying to do. And so I think it's a credit to him and just staying the course.” 

Savaiinaea definitely deserves credit for staying the course. Although he allowed a sack against the New Orleans Saints last weekend, he had his best pass protection performance of the season. 

It’s easy to harp on a single play, but Savaiinaea played 59 snaps against the Saints, and he was mostly a positive factor. His framing of blocks in the run game is also getting more inconsistent, allowing him to unlock some of the athletic profile that appealed to Miami in the first place. 

Savaiinaea still has a ways to go. His pass protection woes aren’t fixed after two solid games, and given where the team drafted him, he needs to develop into a better than average player. 

Still, the last two games are the first signs of major progress. If he keeps getting better, the Dolphins will be rewarded for their patience.