Reports are Savaiinaea looked good blocking along side Paul
Travis Wingfield reported that rookie offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea was looked good blocking next to 2nd Year Left Tackle Patrick Paul. This is both good and interesting news to report. Savaiinaea had mentioned he was getting used to coming off his right foot and it was his goal in camp. Some wonder if this was for cross training at both guard spots or that he was being set up to play left guard.
This is a big piece of evidence that Savaiinaea will indeed playing Left Guard and veteran Free Agent James Daniels will be playing on the right side.
So, given this news let’s break down the pros and cons of Savaiinaea playing on the left side.
Savaiinaea played on both sides in college
Savaiinaea mostly play Right Guard and Right Tackle in college, but he did split last season with extended reps at Left Tackle, so he’s shown plenty of versatility softening the concern of him play Left Guard. Still, this is a new spot for him and could create a small learning curve in a larger learning curve of being a rookie.
We can only wonder at this stage why the Phins coaching staff made this decision of Savaiinaea playing left guard and Daniels, the veteran, playing right side.
But that’s what sports talk is about so let’s take a stab at the pros and cons:
- PRO: Savaiinaea and Paul, both 2nd Round picks, can develop chemistry to lock down one side of the O-line for years to come.
- PRO: Savaiinaea next to Paul, flanked by large TE Pharoa Brown, could offer a side of the football that can bully defenses in the run game. Daniels coming off Achillies surgery might take time to get to 100%. Time is on the side of McDaniel and this regime.
- PRO: Brewer, Daniels, and Jackson are vets and provide more consistency to pass protection on Tua’s blindside.
- CON: Savaiinaea and Paul are young and could create pass protecting issues as they knock the green off as you players and learning to work together.
- CON: James Daniels is still not fully practicing and maybe won’t be ready to start the season. In this case, Liam Eichenberg in relief until Daniels returns could be a consideration since he is more comfortable there.
If you want a deeper breakdown on Savaiinaea playing Left Guard, you can check my podcast here where I dig in much deeper.
Savaiinaea will be a big piece to this season & the Phins 2025 success
Wherever Savaiinaea plays hitting the ground running with as few hiccups as possible will be key to the Dolphins coming out of the gates hot. So much can change from here to there, but the opening schedule is mostly manageable. If the Phins want to beat the 8.5 games they are predicted to win by the best pay per head, then they can’t drop any winnable games, especially early.
If the Phins staff keeps Savaiinaea at Left Guard, it certainly will get a lot of scrutiny if he struggles. But if Savaiinaea does well, and the run game plays out well behind Paul and Savaiinaea, it will be a big feather in their cap. Plenty of time before we find out how smart or not it was to start him at Left Guard! Can’t wait to find out! Go Phins!!!