“No pressure” — Dolphins' Patrick Paul brimming with confidence amid an O-Line overhaul that could help define the 2025 season

One thing that becomes quickly apparent upon seeing Paul this summer is that he's put the added time in with the Dolphins' facilities this offseason. He was an athletic build when he arrived on campus as a rookie, but Paul has definitely re-shaped his body composition — he's done the work in that regard. 

That's a common theme in why Paul is feeling as convicted as he is. When asked if he feels pressure to protect Tua Tagovailoa given the quarterback's injury history, Paul was quick to answer. 

"No, I don't feel any pressure. We work every day. We work hard, in and out — the whole group. We're coached well, and we play with good fundamentals and technique. So, no, no pressure." 

- Patrick Paul on pressure he feels in 2025

For Dolphins fans who are well aware of the team's inconsistency and struggles up front, it may induce some eye-rolls. But Paul isn't the only new component on Miami's line from last year. As a matter of fact, potentially half of the offensive linemen who make the 53-man roster could be new faces in 2025.

- OG/C James Daniels (Free Agency)
- OG Jonah Savaiinaea (2025 second-round draft choice)
- OL Daniel Brunskill (Free agency)
- OL Larry Borom (Free Agency)
- OL Kion Smith* (Missed 2024 with an ACL tear)

This collection of names will yield two new starters at guard this season, plus Patrick Paul's presence as a new starter at left tackle. This is not the 2024 Miami Dolphins offensive line. 

That is very much a good thing in and of itself. This unit is going to need time to gel, though, and the Dolphins are not a team that can afford to start slow. So it's not a shoo-in that Miami's offensive line woes are waning. And Patrick Paul does have big shoes to fill. 

The recipe for a better offensive line

The recipe for Miami being better is straightforward. Can they be more stable? Both by the health of the left tackle position after three years of Terron Armstead and right tackle Austin Jackson suffering an injury that cost him half of 2024? If that answer is yes, then Miami should feel they can be better up front. This is an offensive system that provides a lot of tools to the line with different answers for different fronts and different protections. But to maximize those tools the players have to be on the same page, which is hard when you're shuffling tackles mid-game due to availability issues. 

For what it's worth, this is part of the reason why Paul is so confident — because he and 2025 rookie Jonah Savaiinaea, the youngsters of the group, were holed up in the team facility all summer. 

"Me and Jonah (Savaiinaea), we hang out all the time. Throughout the offseason, me and him were here, in this building, every single day working. So, naturally, when you spend that much time together, you're gelled like one," said Paul. 

The other part of Miami's recipe for a better line is directly tied to Savaiinaea. Can the Dolphins be more dynamic inside? The athletic profile and movement skills of Savaiinaea, and James Daniels compared to last year's guards is night and day. The Dolphins should feel as though their collection of talent in this regard gives them a much more diverse menu of ways to win up front; similar to how the team had success with a diverse run game in 2023 before injuries washed over the line and has both guard Robert Hunt and Isaiah Wynn sidelined for significant periods of time. 

The talent infusion is here. That part is done. Patrick Paul feels like he and the rest of his group have done the work this offseason to be ready to roll, too. This offense will go as they do, so everyone in Miami Gardens has to be hoping that the second-year tackle is indeed right.