A Dolphin who has boosted his career. And Dolphins do something they haven’t in 27 years
Austin Jackson’s move from left tackle to left guard not only has helped the Dolphins. It also might have saved Jackson’s career as an NFL starter.
“I definitely think moving to guard has enhanced my career and me as a player,” the second-year lineman said this week.
“Just the knowledge that it’s given me as an offensive lineman, it’s forced me to really focus on my technique, which is something I think I needed at tackle as well. Playing guard is definitely going to help me become a better and greater player than I am and will be.”
What’s clear is this: Jackson is a better left guard than left tackle.
Consider:
In three games at left tackle this season, Jackson permitted 20 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
But in 10 games at left guard, he has allowed 23 pressures and two sacks. And he has permitted only four pressures in the past four games, including none against the Jets on Sunday.
Before his position switch, he missed a game due to COVID-19.
“I’m doing my job, definitely,” he said. “If you’re not doing your job, they will tell you. So I’m definitely doing my job.”
Co-offensive coordinator Eric Studesville said Tuesday that “we’re seeing improvement in all areas” with Jackson.
The Dolphins’ other young starting guard, Robert Hunt, also continues to improve.
Since Week 10, Hunt has graded out as a top 15 guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Studesville was non-committal when asked if Duke Johnson or Myles Gaskin would be the team’s starting running back moving forward, downplaying the importance of that.
Johnson, in his first Dolphins start, ran for 107 yards on 22 carries on Sunday against the Jets.
Gaskin, who has started 10 games, ran 10 times for 54 yards against the Jets, two days after coming off the NFL’s COVID-19 list.
“We will determine more by game plan and what we think gives us the best chance,” Studesville said. “All those guys will play and participate. It will all work itself out.”
▪ The Dolphins have limited the past three opponents (Carolina, Giants, Jets) to 250 yards or less of total offense. That’s the first time that Miami has achieved that in three consecutive games since 1994.
The Dolphins have held three consecutive opponents below 200 yards passing, the first time they’ve done that since 2007.
▪ Nik Needham played every snap at free safety in Jevon Holland’s absence on Sunday – impressive considering he had never played the position in a game.
“I usually played corner and receiver in high school and corner in college,” he said. “Slot was my first year, like two years ago but never free safety. We were just trying to game plan with Jevon down,... fill that role just for this game.”
Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer raved about Needham on Tuesday.
“Nik’s a hard worker, very intelligent,... a strong communicator and has a skill set to be able to do multiple things,” Boyer said, noting Needham made a “smooth transition” to safety for that game “even though it’s a foreign position. His ability to understand conceptual learning at a fast and high rate” is impressive.
▪ Besides his seven sacks, Emmanuel Ogbah now has 10 batted passes. He’s the first NFL defensive linemen to produce double-digit passes defensed in a single season since New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan had 11 in 2017.
▪ Brandon Jones’ four sacks are most among NFL defensive backs. But he likely won’t catch team leader Jaelan Phillips, who has 8.5.
“It’s actually funny because me and Jaelen before every game we talk to each other and I tell him, ‘Hey, you get one for me and one for you,’” Jones said. “The last two weeks when I wasn’t playing, I came up to him and told him, and he got me one and got him one....
“That’s kind of our thing now. We... do it for each other. I think that’s something pretty special and pretty cool that we’ve been able to do these last few weeks.”
▪ Mike Gesicki on Sunday moved past Anthony Fasano into third place on the franchise’s list of receptions by a tight end. Gesicki has 190, trailing only Randy McMichael (283) and Bruce Hardy (256).
▪ Christian Wilkins, Arizona’s JJ Watt and Minnesota’s Sheldon Richardson are the only NFL defensive players who have scored multiple touchdowns on offense in their careers.
Wilkins scored his second career TD on Sunday on a one-yard throw from Tua Tagovailoa.
Does Wilkins lobby the offensive coaches to use him on offense on the goal line? “Regularly he reminds us,” Studesville said.
Boyer said he didn’t see Wilkins’ touchdown live and hasn’t seen it on tape, either: “I haven’t watched any of the offensive film.”
Here’s my Monday piece exploring the Dolphins’ playoff permutations and tiebreakers.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 12:00 PM.
