Shreddin’ it! Austin Jackson rips jersey off teammate’s back during spirited practice
The Miami Dolphins drafted Austin Jackson 18th overall because of his upside and athleticism.
But what stood out from Saturday’s practice — probably the rookie left tackle’s best of training camp — were his competitiveness and yes, even a bit of nastiness.
Just ask defensive tackle Raekwon Davis.
Or more specifically, defensive tackle Raekwon Davis’ tattered jersey.
The two first-year players tussled during a team drill Saturday — the crispest day of camp thus far for the Dolphins’ offense — and when the whistle blew, Davis’ No. 98 practice pinnie was in shreds.
“It’s been fun, just coming out everyday and competing,” Jackson said afterwards. “We’ve got great guys on both sides of the line. I like to get after it. We all like to get after it. It’s a lot of fun.”
More than fun, it’s been encouraging. The Dolphins are a team in transition, and their future championship hopes hinge on the development and performance of players like Jackson, Davis and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
But in Jackson’s case, the future is probably now. While league rules prohibit us from disclosing lineups and depth charts, it’s fair to say that coaches have placed Jackson in a prominent role — even without the benefit of a true offseason.
“He’s obviously learning,” said Dolphins coach Brian Flores. “He’s improving on a daily basis. This is a talented kid — tough, he’s smart and like all the young players, all the rookies, all the rookie players, he’s improving every day. He’s getting better.
“He works at it,” Flores added. “He’s doing extra in the meetings, doing extra on the field in practice. It’s important to him. He’s making mistakes like everyone on the team is. None of us are perfect, myself included, and he’s learning from them and I think he’s getting better. He’s getting better on a daily basis and that’s the case with Austin and Robert Hunt and [Solomon] Kindley and all our rookie O-linemen.”
Hunt, Kindley and Jackson are not just projected cornerstones of the Dolphins’ offensive line in years to come. They’re potential starters Week 1. At this point, it would be a surprise if at least one isn’t on the field to start against the Patriots.
“Are they ready to jump in and play 60-70 snaps today?” Flores said. “Unlikely, given having not played in an NFL game and not feeling the speed of the game and I don’t think anyone’s going to be ready to play a 60-minute game right on the onset, so we could see different combinations on the O-line as well as other positions.”
Still, Jackson is not only improving day-by-day, but also snap-by-snap.
Saturday’s start was a bit bumpy for the fifth tackle taken in the 2020 draft (and 18th player overall).
During an early team drill, he let Kamu Grugier-Hill get wide and set the edge on an outside run, leading to a negative play. Despite carrying 325 pounds, he’s not exactly a bully, relying more on technique and athleticism than brute strength.
But as the day went on, he improved ...
By standing up Shaq Lawson time and again in both pass protection and run blocking.
By getting to the second level to seal off linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
By providing enough push at the goal line to will his offense into the end zone.
And, most importantly, by looking the part.
Jackson is still very young — he turned 21 earlier this month. (He celebrated with a dip in the cold tub, he joked.) And no, he wasn’t perfect Saturday.
But he’s easily the best left tackle the Dolphins have — blocking circles around Julien Davenport — and, after Noah Igbinoghene, perhaps their best rookie (so far).
This is the easy part, however. With apologies to Lawson and Van Noy and Grugier-Hill, things get real once the season begins in three weeks.
Dangerous edge-rushers Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Von Miller and Chandler Jones are all on the schedule.
“I’m excited to go out and compete every day,” Jackson said. “That’s kind of the moral of this team. We look forward to challenges and I definitely do myself. When they come, I’m excited about it.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
