‘I’m built for this.’ Dolphins’ Patrick Paul confident ahead of first season as starting tackle
A lot will be expected of Patrick Paul in 2025.
Not only will he be expected to start for the Dolphins at left tackle, Paul will replace an All-Pro in Terron Armstead who retired in early April. That’s no easy task — even as his knees deteriorated more and more towards the end of the 2024 season, Armstead still remained a top-three player at his position, according to Pro Football Focus.
So when asked if he actually feels the external pressure associated with his new role, Paul’s responded.
“I’m built for this,” the 2024 second-round pick said Tuesday. “I’ve always been ready for the moment, and that’s why I play football: to compete at the highest level.”
Such a response — coupled with reviews from evaluators and players — shows that Paul might in fact be, as he described, “built for this.” He looks noticeably slimmer. He’s a year older. And he’s a year wiser.
The result is a player who’s as confident as ever. Then again, what else could you expect from a guy who has been passed the proverbial torch from a four-time Pro Bowler?
“It’s a huge accelerator,” coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday. “Coaching can take you so far; there’s another level of coaching tied to peer ownership that is a completely different vessel to help a young player. There’s a piece of him too – when you have a player like ‘T-Stead’ invest in you, you want to bear fruit of that investment.“
Even Paul’s teammates have noticed the changes.
“He’s been really consistent in his training, which is really good for a young player,” tackle Austin Jackson said Tuesday. “Especially for him, last year to this year, he lost a little bit of weight and has still been able to maintain his strength, so that’s another big jump that tackles have to adjust to when they come into the league.”
Granted, Paul’s brief exposure to live NFL reps was somewhat middling. The then-rookie started three games and received a 44.9 grade for the season, per PFF, which ranked 126th at his position. In his defense, however, one such matchup came against the Houston Texans. Still, even in that game Paul showed flashes of brilliance against the elite edge rusher duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
“He’s enormous,” NFL analyst Brian Baldinger said of Paul, praising the tackle’s stamina and strength after breaking down his 2024 film versus the Texans. “If he gets these sets down, the Dolphins — if they get this offensive line together — all of the speed that they have at all these positions — wide receiver, tight end, running back — it’s going to be a good offense.”
After an offseason in which Paul made a point to work on his body, dropping from 332 to 320 pounds, in addition to studying the playbook, the left tackle said he feels more mature. The best part? Paul has been able to maintain his strength and speed despite his slimmer frame, something that Jackson alluded to.
“The speed for how big I am — that might throw people off,” Paul said, late adding that he “matured in my game,” something that just “comes with time.”
Added Paul: “I think offensive line is an art. As you go day by day, you’re just going to keep fine-tuning your skills and one day, it’s just going to click, everything that we do day by day is just going to start getting easier. I think I’ve reached that point where I know what it is, know what they expect from me and I know how to do it daily.”
That maturity will be necessary as the Dolphins look to get back on track offensively after a down year in 2024. It won’t be easy – Paul will be one of three new starters along the offensive line – but the Dolphins have time to get that chemistry together.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 8:56 AM.
