Dolphins GM Sullivan discloses plan for Proctor, dishes on other issues
Dolphins rookie first-round draft pick Kadyn Proctor will line up initially on the left side of the offensive line at practice, and second-year player Jonah Savaiineaa will move back to his college position of right guard during the team’s offseason program.
Those were among the biggest revelations from general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan during a Wednesday morning chat with WQAM’s Joe Rose.
If Proctor stays on the left side this season, that would mean playing left guard alongside left tackle Patrick Paul.
It also would mean that Austin Jackson would remain the team’s right tackle and Savaiinaea and Jamaree Salyer would compete for the right guard spot. Savaiinaea started all 17 games at left guard as a rookie last season.
Proctor, selected 12th overall by the Dolphins in last week’s draft, started 26 games at left tackle for Alabama the past two years, and he’s expected to end up at tackle at some point in his career.
But the Dolphins’ intentions to start him on the left side suggest they prefer him at left guard this season, unless they decide otherwise.
“I think probably Day 1, I think he’s probably lining up at left guard,” Sullivan said of Proctor. “We will fortify and move Jonah to the right side and off we go. But it’s moving pieces all the time. We want to get the best five out there. That’s probably how it looks Day 1, and we’ll go from there.”
Sullivan said Proctor would play tackle and guard in practice “because we always like to cross-train.”
In Proctor, Sullivan said: “We added a big offensive linemen who can play four spots. We are excited with Kadyn with the combination of [center Aaron Brewer] and Paul and Jonah taking a step and Austin coming back.”
Asked by Rose about bypassing UM star Rueben Bain Jr. in the draft, Sullivan said: “I’m a huge fan of Rueben Bain. The guy is going to be a really good player in this league. There’s not a lot to not like. But Proctor was our guy all along. We felt he was a rare unique talent. We were very much in alignment throughout the building. He was my guy.
“It was apparent to us this kid is prideful. He’s got 271 pounds of lean muscle mass; he’s never going to be little. He’s learned lessons and turning corners and growing about being a professional athlete, and we feel very good about where he is today.”
Proctor mushroomed to 400 pounds as a freshman, but Sullivan emerged from his predraft visit confident that his weight won’t be an issue. He’s now listed in the 350 range.
“He doesn’t want to go back to that,” Sullivan said. “That’s what he indicated to me time and time again. [He said], ‘I got heavy. I didn’t feel myself athletically. I’m not going back to that.’ We felt the talent was rare, and the person was right and the things he needs to do will be on point.”
The Dolphins apparently hope that moving Savaiinaea back to his college position of right guard will help him improve after a rookie season in which he led all NFL guards in most sacks and most quarterback pressures allowed. Pro Football Focus rated him the worst guard in the league last season.
Savaiinaea, former offensive line coach Butch Barry and former coach Mike McDaniel all insisted that moving to the left side did not contribute to his struggles last season.
The Dolphins told Salyer that he will be given a chance to compete for a starting guard job. But the fact that Sullivan volunteered Savaiinaea’s name on Wednesday suggested the Dolphins are not giving up on him as a starter if he can win the job this summer.
Salyer, for his part, “is a big man, provides another piece of depth and makes that room more competitive,” Sullivan said.
More from Sullivan
Sullivan addressed other issues:
▪ On wide receiver: He said 94th overall pick “Chris Bell’s talent is through the roof. He’s obviously coming off an injury. We want to make sure we handle that the right way so we have him long-term and a healthy version of him. When he gets back in time [from his November ACL injury], he has a chance to be a difference-maker... That guy can tilt the field for you.”
He said the Dolphins “were a big fan” of 75th overall pick Caleb Douglas: “He’s unique, has a 6-3-and-change body type, long limbs.
“But he can drop his weight, get lateral, get in and out of cuts, quick feet. We felt he’s not as good as he’s going to be. We felt he has upside. Douglas and [former Missouri receiver] Kevin Coleman can line up inside, outside.”
Sullivan said he’s “a big fan of Malik Washington; he’s a good player.”
▪ He envisions draft pick Kyle Louis, the former Pittsburgh safety/linebacker, as a “very versatile player who fills a big nickel role.” At other times, “he can slide into the WILL back in sub packages.”
▪ He said cornerback Chris Johnson, drafted 27th overall, can play in nickel (in the slot) on third down and outside on earlier downs.
▪ The Dolphins will have $22 million in cap space when Bradley Chubb comes off the books June 1. About half of that will be needed to sign a draft class and practice squad.
But Sullivan reiterated that he’s not going to go on a spending splurge with the remaining cap space.
“We may add a vet here or there, but it’s not going to jump out to people,” he said. “Probably to plug a hole or more depth than anything else. No big ticket items.”
The Dolphins can carry over that space to the 2027 offseason, when they already have $144 million in space.
“We will continue to churn the roster to find the right guys,” Sullivan said.
▪ Of the two tight ends drafted, Sullivan said Will Kacmarek “is known as an elite blocker, but he can go catch it. Keydou Traore has a ton of athletic traits and a ton of upside as a catcher.”
▪ He reiterated that “you can’t fix it all in one weekend, and we know that. But we feel very good about what we added to our team. These guys are working. We have some undervalued players already in this building. We’re headed in the right direction.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
