Last year, the Miami Dolphins took Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round (pick No. 37 overall) of the NFL draft, and with the arrival of free agent James Daniels to play right guard, the team asked the rookie to move to the left side.
Savaiinaea did what was asked of him, but he didn’t exactly perform well in the role. In fact, he received a 28.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which put him dead last among all qualified guards in the league.
However, it appears that Savaiinaea’s performance was even worse than previously believed, as PFF revealed this week that Savaiinaea’s 28.4 overall grade is actually the worst grade for any guard since the site launched in 2006.
“Savaiinaea had the opportunity to start as a rookie for Miami after being the team’s second-round pick, but the results were far from desired,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “He produced the lowest single-season PFF grade for a starting guard ever, and by a sizable margin at that. The Arizona product posted a 14.1 PFF pass-blocking grade after being credited with a league-high eight sacks and 45 pressures, and his 37.3 PFF run-blocking grade was also second-worst among qualifiers.”
Luckily for both the player and the team, Savaiinaea is moving back to his natural position on the right side for 2026 after the team took Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor in the first round of this year’s draft.
There has been no contact work, but those in the building have shared that Savaiinaea already looks and feels more comfortable back at right guard.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins player’s disappointing 2025 season was worse than we thought
Reporting by Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
