MIAMI GARDENS — The Dolphins have made it a point to improve the trenches with young talent in the last two drafts, using their first- and second-round picks to improve both sides of the line of scrimmage.
But among the foursome of edge rusher Chop Robinson, left tackle Patrick Paul, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and left guard Jonah Savaiinaea there have been more downs than ups, and heading into Sunday’s game at Carolina things are in a down cycle.
Paul, the 2024 second-round pick, has been the star of the two-year class and the top performer in the offensive line. Among players who have played at last 182 snaps, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has him as the NFL’s eighth-best offensive tackle (and offensive lineman), allowing one sack, three hurries and four pressures in 223 snaps (100 percent of the snaps).
Paul, a known trash talker despite his big smile and friendly demeanor, has been a brick wall in pass blocking in his first year as a starter and a road grader as a run blocker. But he doesn’t think about collecting praise while the team isn’t fulfilling its potential. He’s matter of fact about his personal good showing.
“This is what I’ve always done, and this is what I’m going to continue to do, continue to keep growing and getting better each week,” he said, refusing to praise himself.
Savaiinaea, the 2025 second-round pick, is struggling while playing beside Paul. Savaiinaea is ranked last among 135 offensive linemen and No. 97 among 101 guards by PFF who have played at least 182 snaps, allowing one sack, 12 hurries and 14 pressures in 223 snaps. He’s seemed to be overpowered and pushed around by veteran defensive linemen.
Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said defenses are giving Savaiinaea multiple looks, including things he didn’t think they’d do, and that’s been a difficult adjustment.
“Early in the season you deal with stuff that maybe wasn’t exactly what you thought they were going to do, so you’re getting unscouted looks that you have to prepare for,” Smith said.
Grant, the 2025 first-round pick, is also struggling. He’s ranked No. 73 by PFF among 75 interior defensive linemen who have played at least 118 snaps, with nine tackles in 149 snaps (58.3 percent). He hasn’t been able to assert himself at his specialty, run-stuffing.
“I think the biggest thing for him is a technique and fundamental issue where he just has to continue to master those,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said.
Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick, is struggling to get to the quarterback after being a rookie success story with 6.0 sacks. He’s ranked No. 122 among 123 edge rushers by PFF among edge rusher who have played at least 56 snaps with three tackles and one sack in just 105 snaps (41 percent).
Weaver said Robinson has played well when given the opportunity.
“There were a couple snaps in the Buffalo game where he was nursing the knee,” Weaver said. “He hurt his knee in New England, you could definitely tell it affected him on the short week. But last week I thought he was great. We can’t lose him in the fold just because of what’s happening in the game. We’ve got to make sure he’s out there because he’s going to be impactful and be disruptive for us.”
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Weaver said Robinson’s low snap count is because of the change from outside linebacker coach Ryan Crow, who is suspended by the team after being arrested on a domestic violence charge that is being dropped, to senior defensive assistant Sean Ryan, who is taking Crow’s place.
“He was kind of thrown into this right before the start of the season,” Weaver said of Ryan, “so he’s trying to develop a feel for how to rotate these guys and make sure they’re getting enough reps and making sure that they can feel comfortable with the flow of the game.”
The Dolphins’ effort to get tougher in the trenches doesn’t fall solely on Paul, Savaiinaea, Robinson and Grant. There are plenty of veterans who shoulder more responsibility such as center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Zach Sieler and edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips as well as injured right tackle Austin Jackson (toe) and injured right guard James Daniels (pectoral).
But the youngsters represent the philosophical change made by the organization. They have a good amount of time to find their footing. And the Dolphins, who are putting an emphasis on being tougher in the trenches, are hoping the youngsters lead the way in changing the team’s perception from finesse to physical.
