Savaiinaea takes a step up, plus Dolphins tickets, 2026 schedule and injury news
After Mike McDaniel awarded game balls to the entire team following Sunday’s demolition of the Falcons, a normally subdued, circumspect Dolphins rookie walked to the center of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s visitor locker room and sprung into a loud and animated war dance and chant.
If pent-up frustrations were brewing inside Jonah Savaiinaea during a difficult rookie season, this was certainly a good way to alleviate them.
“I learned it back in high school,” Savaiinaea said Tuesday. [Offensive coordinator] Frank Smith wanted me to do it. I lost my voice after doing it.”
The second-round pick delivered his best performance of the season Sunday, clearing holes on several plays, including a 22-yard Jaylen Waddle catch-and-run and a third-and-short conversion by Ollie Gordon II.
Speaking in front of his locker last Friday, Savaiinaea said he believed, to his core, that he’s a better player than what he has displayed this season. “One hundred percent,” he said. “The season is not what I want, the standard I want” to set.
After a rough start, some progress clearly has been made. After permitting 11 quarterback pressures on his first 121 pass-blocking chances, he has allowed 12 in his last 182, according to Pro Football Focus.
With input from offensive line coach Butch Barry, he diagnosed his flaw in pass protection weeks ago and has been determined to fix it. “It’s my posture and keeping my feet alive,” he said. “When I stop my feet, I let my defender win.”
There’s immense pressure not only because he was a second-round pick at a high-need position, but also because the Dolphins gave Las Vegas third- and fourth-round picks to move up 11 spots to draft him at 37.
If he sees criticism in his timeline, or stumbles upon references to analytics sites (PFF gave his best grade of the season Sunday after low grades early in the year), “I scroll by it. I don’t let that affect my mental state. None of that affects me. I know how I played. I don’t let anyone determine how I played. They don’t know the reasons behind [plays]. But I’m barely on social media.”
Savaiinaea, who is of Samoan ancestry, finds comfort in his faith (“God is my strength,” he said) and his parents have been a strong support system, “sending me encouragement” through his rookie travails.
He said “the biggest lesson I’ve got to learn” is not dwelling on the past except as a learning tool: “You can’t let something beat you in the same way as you’re preparing for another team.”
He enjoys the give and take with Barry, the team’s intense, demanding offensive line coach.
“He coaches really hard with his players, not only the younger guys but the veterans,” Savaiinaea said. “Butch is always on us whether we’re doing good or not good, always pushing us to become a better version. That’s good for us to know it comes from a place of love.”
Barry, during a mid-October media session, said Savaiinaea needs to improve “at everything” but explained that every offensive lineman develops differently as a rookie.
“Development is the core foundation of everything we’ve got to do,” Barry said. “So it takes time, right? You tie in the left tackle. He’s a young player, and development with him, but we’re in Year 2. So you have that development that’s going to be a different situation than the guy in Year 1.
“Where is he at foundationally? Every player starts at a different place. I look at it like this: When I’m a parent, I got three kids. They all go at a different rate in terms of — I have an expectation of what I think they should do and how I think they should mature. They don’t do it at my rate, though. They do it at their own. Players have that same type of mode of operation. It’s consistency, it’s the standard of work that we approach it with.
“How often can I build that recall? How often can I get him to use his inside hand? How often can I get him to do that, right? Because he’s got to build that recall. He’s got to build that feel. People say muscle memory, but it’s that recall, that memory of how it occurred.
“How often can I force him to do that? To use his hands every time, to stay inside-out, to keep his feet moving and mirror the defender. Every day, we got to work it. Every single day, and endless the amount of reps. And then the feel starts to happen. It may only happen, today, five times in practice, but then tomorrow, maybe it happens 10. Is that improvement? Yeah. That’s twice as many.”
The good news is he was allowing twice as many pressures earlier in the season than now. He permitted only two on 27 pass blocking chances on Sunday.
For the season, his three sacks allowed are tied with seven other guards for third most in the league among guards, behind the Jets’ Joe Tippman (five) and Philadelphia three-time Pro Bowler Landon Dickerson (four), per PFF.
“There’s a lot I need to fix and that comes with time,” he said. “As time goes on, I’m going to be able to fix this.”
This and that
The Dolphins did not practice on Monday, but if they had, linebacker Bradley Chubb would not have been able to practice because of shoulder and foot injuries. His availability for Thursday’s home game against Baltimore (8:20 p.m., Amazon Prime, CBS 4) is unclear. [Update: Chubb said Tuesday that he plans to play on Thursday.]
Four others would not have practiced: tight end Julian Hill (ankle), safety Ashtyn Davis (quadriceps), receiver Dee Eskridge (shoulder), cornerback Storm Duck (out for the season with a knee injury). Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (thumb) would have been limited.
Everyone else on the team would have practiced fully, including cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, who departed late in Sunday’s game with a thumb injury but is now fine. Jason Marshall Jr., who has recovered from a hamstring injury, also would have practiced fully. The Dolphins can activate him anytime during the next 15 days.
Chubb’s injury surfaced on the injury report hours after McDaniel met with the media. McDaniel is due to speak to reporters again late Tuesday afternoon.
It would be surprising if Davis or Eskridge recover quickly enough on a short week to play Sunday, but that must play out. Melifonwu returned to the game against Atlanta after leaving earlier with the thumb injury.
Ticket prices
The Dolphins sent renewals to season-ticket holders this week, and the team did not increase any ticket prices for 2026. Some tickets decreased in price.
Season-ticket holders in the club level will receive a $250 food and beverage credit.
The Dolphins have had a season-ticket wait list for years. Fans can join, for $50, at miamidolphins.com/waitlist/.
Next season’s home schedule includes the usual games against AFC teams Buffalo, New England and the Jets, plus matchups with Kansas City, the Chargers, Chicago, Detroit and the AFC North team that finishes in the same position that the Dolphins finish in their own division.
Here’s my Monday piece with news from Mike McDaniel.
Here’s my Monday piece on feats by Dolphins players and news by position.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 12:21 PM.
