Why the Dolphins Won't Change Savaiinaea's Position

It has not been a banner start to the season for Miami Dolphins rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea. 

The team traded up in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft to select the Arizona product, hoping he would solve the team’s long-standing issue at guard. Thus far, he’s struggled quite a bit in pass protection, allowing 11 pressures and 10 hurries, according to PFF. 

One idea that’s been floated is moving Savaiinaea to the right side. However, that’s not something Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is considering. 

“I think he feels most comfortable where he’s at right now in our offense,” McDaniel said on Monday. “If there were things that were happening to him that I thought would be alleviated by playing on the right, I would absolutely do that. Both his good plays and his bad plays, at this point, the way he’s really gone all in, we haven’t measured it as a side issue.” 

Why Moving Jonah Doesn’t Make Much Sense 

There are a few layers to this, but the one that seems to get swept aside a lot is that this isn’t Savaiinaea’s first run on the left side of the line. 

In his final college season, Savaiinaea played 345 snaps at left tackle compared to 364 snaps at right tackle. While it’s true his snaps in the prior two seasons came on the right side, Savaiinaea has been training to play on the left side for more than a season now. 

The other factor is one that McDaniel brought up: Savaiinaea has spent the entirety of his brief NFL career training to play the left side. Asking him to just switch that up, along with fixing his other issues, just doesn’t seem smart. 

The rookie has enough on his plate, and learning to play another side of the line would be just another thing he’d have to manage. 

The last consideration should be who Savaiinaea is playing next to. On the left side, Savaiinaea is paired with Patrick Paul. Yes, that’s two young players, but it’s also two players who are powerful run blockers. 

That duo can give the Dolphins’ running game some real identity for years to come if they can build some chemistry. It should also be noted that moving Savaiinaea to the right side would put him next to backup Larry Borom. 

If you’re worried about the prospect of two young players — Paul and Savaiinaea — making mistakes, you should be equally, if not more, concerned about a rookie working with a backup who has struggled this season. 

Where Can Savaiinaea Improve? 

If moving Savaiinaea to the right side isn’t the solution, then what is? Well, as much as some might not want to hear this, Savaiinaea needs more time. 

It’s clear that the speed of the NFL and the Dolphins’ scheme are still things he’s working through. Savaiinaea has a bad habit of lunging with his first punch in pass protection, leaving him off balance and giving defenders an easy push-pull or swim-move opportunity.  

Many of his losses in pass protection are a reflection of that issue. He’s also had some communication issues with Paul against certain pressure looks. 

In the running game, Savaiinaea’s power — the reason Miami liked him pre-draft — has shown up in flashes, but his footwork and block framing need to take a step forward. 

These are all fairly normal growing pains for a rookie offensive lineman. Savaiinaea’s talent is NFL-caliber, but he’ll need time to adapt and get settled. Changing his position would only prolong that process.