The big question now with Patrick Paul. And the Dolphins’ guard quandary
A six-pack of notes and thoughts on the Dolphins offensive line, excluding rookie guard Jonah Savaiinaea, whom was covered in this recent piece:
▪ The Dolphins learned in 2025 that they have a very good left tackle in Patrick Paul.
But do they have an elite tackle?
That’s unclear, and that’s what will make his 2026 season fascinating.
Paul was a very good pass blocker — and an adequate run blocker — for much of the season.
But the pass blocking wasn’t quite as good late in the year.
And after being called for only six penalties in the first 15 games, he was whistled for four during the final two games.
“I feel like it wasn’t a great way to end,” he said.
Here were the final Pro Football Focus metrics:
PFF ranked him 45th of 89 tackles this season — 28th in pass protection and 63rd as a run blocker.
Paul yielded four sacks in 578 pass-blocking snaps, which isn’t bad. Twenty-six NFL tackles allowed more than that, including Jets first-round pick Armand Membou, who permitted eight.
Paul permitted just 25 pressures; 47 offensive tackles allowed more than that.
▪ Paul said his run blocking was “not to my standard. But we are going to improve on it. During the season, we did it slowly. We’ll get there.”
And how, in general, does he believe he can go from very good to elite?
“It would be vague to say [improving] everything,” he said. “Just consistency. A lot of times you’ll see lapses. You don’t want to have lapses. You want to be clean always. Just be the most consistent offensive lineman in the NFL. That’s my goal.”
What gave him trouble from other teams that he had to fix? To that, he offered an interesting answer.
“If you look at it from that way, you’re looking at it on their terms,” he said. “The goal is to always set the terms, and they have to react to what you’re giving them.”
Paul re-assured that “this is just a start. It can only improve from there. I’m just going to keep on improving and chasing greatness.”
▪ Austin Jackson’s future will rest on what new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan thinks of him.
But because teams can give post-June 1 designations to only two players, using one on Jackson wouldn’t make sense, because one will be needed on Tua Tagovailoa (unless Miami can succeed in trading him, which is the team’s preference) and another on Bradley Chubb or Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Jackson is due $9.9 million next season (none of that is guaranteed) with a $15.8 million cap hit.
If the Dolphins decide to part ways, his cap hit would be $13.8 million if the Dolphins release or trade him before June 1, but just $4.3 million after June 1 (with a $9.5 million hit in 2027).
A toe injury sidelined him the first 10 weeks and a groin injury sidelined him for the finale. In between, PFF rated him 51st among 89 tackles.
In pass protection, he was very good, allowing one sack and eight pressures on 178 passing plays.
As a run blocker, PFF said he trailed only center Aaron Brewer among Miami’s offensive linemen.
A strong case could be made to keep him; if he can stay healthy, he’s a good enough right tackle to win with.
▪ Brewer was exceptional, ranking first among all centers in run blocking (per PFF) and second overall behind Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey.
Most impressive has been his growth as a pass blocker. After permitting six sacks and 34 pressures with the Titans in 2023, he has been outstanding in pass protection since, permitting just 12 pressures and one sack in 549 pass blocking chances this season. That’s excellent.
▪ Here were Savaiinaea’s final pass- and run-blocking numbers. The other starting guard, Cole Strange, yielded 21 pressures and two sacks in 457 pass-blocking snaps.
As a run blocker, PFF rated only Savaiinaea worse than Strange among Miami’s starting offensive linemen.
Sullivan must decide whether to keep James Daniels (who’s under contract), re-sign Strange or find somebody else affordable.
PFF slotted Strange 58th of 81 qualifying NFL guards this past season.
▪ Impending free agent Daniel Brunskill played as a run blocker on 115 snaps and many were successful.
Among Dolphins who blocked on at least 100 runs, PFF rated him fourth behind Brewer, receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Jackson.
But Brunskill’s biggest advocate, Mike McDaniel, is no longer around.
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 3:34 PM.
