Why Savaiinaea’s move to right guard could be key to Dolphins’ rushing attack
The writing was on the wall with De’Von Achane’s extension.
In the first year under coach Jeff Hafley, the Miami Dolphins will be a run-first team, one led by the star tailback who’s now under contract through 2030. The additions of Kadyn Proctor along the offensive line and blocking tight end Will Kacmarek almost certainly affirmed that.
And with Proctor slotted in as left guard, Jonah Savaiinaea will move back to the right guard, something that will hopefully allow him to reach his potential.
“It’s been really good,” Savaiinaea said. “It’s always good to move to your original spot, one that you played for a long time. But my mentality doesn’t change as it’s always what’s best for the team. As far as comfortability, there’s always room for improvement.”
The former Arizona standout had a subpar rookie season. Among 81 qualified guards, Savaiinaea ranked dead last in overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He also allowed eight sacks, the worst mark at his position.
Although Savaiinaea was extremely lackluster as a rookie, it could be argued that he played out a position. Sure, the offensive lineman lined up on the left side in college — 345 snaps at left tackle to be exact — yet he had never played left guard. In contrast, Savaiinaea had 987 snaps at right guard across his three-year collegiate career.
Luckily, the new coaching staff realized that the right side was likely the best for him.
“He seems more comfortable there,” coach Jeff Hafley said, later adding that offensive line coaches Zach Yenser and Matt Applebaum “seem to believe that he’s more comfortable there, but it’s also Year 2 for him so he’s going to be more comfortable.”
Added Hafley: “He’s got more cumulative reps and muscle memory on the one side. Is it a mental thing? Is it a physical thing? If you ask Jonah, he feels good on the right side. So whether it’s mental, whether it’s physical, whether it’s confidence, whether it’s Year 2, our job is to make sure he has a better year than he did last year.”
That Savaiinaea was able to gain experience — albeit out of position — as a 17-game starter gave him a boost of confidence. Even better: not much has really changed with departure of coach Mike McDaniel as former passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik, a fellow Kyle Shanahan disciple, took over as offensive coordinator.
“Everything’s pretty much the same,” Savaiinaea said, explaining that just the terminology — “everyone has a different word” — was just the biggest difference. He also credited Yenser for “bringing that mentality that the dog is always in the room.”
“He’s always pushing us to create a second line of scrimmage and come off the ball with violence and speed,” he continued.
Despite Savaiinaea’s rookie struggles, Achane managed to record a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry in addition to rushing for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. He also added another 488 yards and three touchdowns through the air off of a team-high 67 receptions. Achane’s 1,838 yards from scrimmage ranked second in franchise history behind Ricky Williams in 2002.
There’s hope that Achane can match those totals in 2026, especially with the additions of the aforementioned rookies as well as a dual threat quarterback in Malik Willis. This could give the Dolphins quite the unique rushing attack.
“The defense is going to have to think,” Savaiinaea said. “They’re going to have to make a decision on how to play what. The mentality, however, up front doesn’t change: if it’s a run, we got open holes for the guys behind us.”
