Dolphins offensive lineman 'already moving on' from tough rookie year

Miami Dolphins guard Jonah Savaiinaea finally got a chance to see action starting at right guard during the Dolphins preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. While it's only a preseason game, it was a great opportunity for the new look Dolphins offense to show what they've built throughout training camp. The offense, with the help of Savaiinaea, drove 93 yards on 14 plays to score on their opening possession. Savaiinaea is entering his second year in the NFL after an abysmal rookie season. The controversy surrounding Savaiinaea last year was him caused by the Arizona product playing out of his natural position. He was placed in the starting left guard position, even though he played the vast majority of his collegiate snaps on the right side. The 22-year-old was asked Monday about how it felt to be back on the right side in a game setting. "It felt really good," Savaiinaea said. "Finally get to play, it's preseason but an actual live game. At the end of the day, I'm proud of not only myself, but us as a whole unit of how we push each other to become better on that field." It was puzzling throughout 2025 why Savaiinaea was played on the left side with consistent struggles that didn't show signs of improvement. While the majority of Savaiinaea's collegiate snaps were on the right side, he did play 345 snaps at left tackle during his time with the Wildcats. Despite not playing left guard at all in college, his experience on the left side could have been a reason why former head coach Mike McDaniel felt comfortable starting him at left guard. However, Savaiinaea finished 2025 ranked as the worst guard in the NFL by PFF with a score of 28.4 overall, the lowest of any guard since PFF was founded in 2006. The new coaching staff has made the adjustment in moving Savaiinaea to the right side while plugging in rookie first-round pick Kadyn Procter at left guard. This allows both players to play on the side of the line they have the most experience. Savaiinaea insisted on Monday that he's moving on from a tough rookie season while embracing adversities through faith. "Just learn from it," Savaiinaea said. "I'm big on my faith and my whole life is all about adversities. I thank God for adversities, because without them I wouldn't to be where I'm at today. So being able to go through it, it's okay to fail. It's August and I don't want to talk about last year anymore because that's like far, far behind me. I'm already moving forward. So all I got to say is embrace those failures and adversities, because it'll help you in the long way." Savaiinaea even changed his jersey number from No. 72 to No. 71, the number he wore at Arizona. This upcoming season is crucial for Savaiinaea to show he's a building block for years to come in Miami. The Dolphins took him in the second round of the 2025 draft (No. 37 overall). While a second-round pick is usually a big investment for a front office and coaching staff, the Dolphins have a new regime that likely won't have patience if Savaiinaea is unable to show signs of improvement this year. A strong and healthy offensive line will be crucial for the Miami offense led by new starting quarterback Malik Willis to find any sort of chemistry in 2026, and Savaiinaea is a big part of that. This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins offensive lineman 'already moving on' from tough rookie year