Do my eyes deceive me, or did the Dolphins just win their first game of the Hafley/Sullivan era? Doing it against the Jets is an added bonus, but while wins and losses matter, much of the focus in 2026 remains on the development of Miami’s young talent.
That is especially true along the offensive line, where rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor and second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea are important pieces of the team’s future. How are they performing this season? Each week, we take a closer look at the guards
and what is being said about their most recent performance.
Kadyn Proctor
Jonah Savaiinaea
What We Learned
The last time we looked at the guards, we were concerned over Jonah Savaiinaea’s ankle injury. With the extra week of rest, he was fine to play – but now we’re worried about Kadyn Proctor. Proctor has been ruled out for Week 8 against the Patriots due to a concussion, which hurts the team’s efforts to secure their second consecutive win and interrupts Proctor’s development. So far this season, the offensive line has been one of Miami’s biggest strengths, paving the way for five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, and individually Proctor has yet to surrender a sack through six games. Proctor will likely be replaced by Jarrett Kingston, who filled in admirably during Savaiinaea’s injury in Week 5.
Looking at the two guards’ PFF grades for this week, you wouldn’t think the Dolphins as a team had played especially well. Neither player earned a PFF grade of 60, generally considered league average, despite the Dolphins scoring four offensive touchdowns and controlling the game on the ground when it mattered most. That disconnect speaks to the difference between evaluating individual assignments and evaluating the offense’s overall success.
Grades notwithstanding, the eye test reinforces what we’ve seen so far this year: Proctor is already an offensive force to be reckoned with. Physically, the athletic ability, power, and movement skills are already NFL-caliber: Locked On Dolphins’ Kyle Crabbs called Proctor’s performance against the Jets “his best graded game of the season by a fairly comfortable margin.” There’s still room for growth, but the biggest opportunities are mental: recognizing defensive looks more quickly and becoming more consistent with his assignments.
For Savaiinaea, it seems like he is still making progress and is light years ahead of where he was a year ago, but Proctor’s development appears to be further along at this stage (something the PFF grades would attest). He’s more consistently doing the things you want to see – washing defenders down the line, keeping his feet moving, not getting distracted by unexpected movements by the defense. He still played hesitantly at times against the Jets, which feels normal in the course of offensive line development.
What is very clear on tape is that both Proctor and Savaiinaea were instrumental in Miami’s success on the ground. Time and again, they displaced Jets defenders and created cutback lanes for Ollie Gordon. More importantly, when the Dolphins needed to salt away the game in the fourth quarter, the coaching staff trusted the offensive line to win at the point of attack. That may be the most encouraging sign of all.
The tracker will be updated each week throughout the season. For a more in-depth breakdown of Proctor’s and Savaiinaea’s performance, check out offensive line Coach Eric Smith’s film analysis of the game, which you can find on his YouTube channel, Focused on Fins.
