MIAMI GARDENS — I’m starting to worry about the Miami Dolphins’ pass protection unit, particularly right tackle Austin Jackson, and to a lesser extent left tackle Patrick Paul. Their performances in Thursday’s joint practice against the New York Giants weren’t pretty.
And let’s not understate the level of pass protection concern about the middle of the offensive line — center Aaron Brewer, left guard Kadyn Proctor and right guard Jonah Savaiinaea. They haven’t handled situations very well when the defense gives a pre-snap look of pressure up the middle.
This is a troubling situation for an offensive line that includes an All Pro (Brewer), two first-round picks (Proctor and Jackson) and two second-round picks (Paul and Savaiinaea).
It’s not time to hit the panic button. I don’t think pass protection will be the undoing of this team. I still think the rebuilding Dolphins can win five games this season. And anybody can have a bad day or a couple of bad days.
But what we saw against the Giants, and what we’ve seen in training camp, is worrisome.
Media estimates have Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis being sacked seven times on 20 pass attempts Thursday. We didn’t see Willis run very much because he didn’t have time. The pass rushers had him in their crosshairs two steps into his dropback.
The pass protection was so leaky against the Giants that at one point Brewer gathered the offensive line and told them they’ve got to be more detail-oriented.
“At some time, you really got to lock in and see why these same problems keep occurring,” Brewer said. “And so that’s what I was digging into them. I’m like, ‘We have to lock in right now on these details and fix them, so we don’t have them again, this next play.’ ”
Nonetheless, the message didn’t get through.
Here’s my major takeaway from Thursday: If the Dolphins face a pass rusher this season who is better than New York Giants defensive end Chauncey Golston (and they will, beginning with the Sept. 13 season opener when they face Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby), Willis better have his running shoes on.
Golston, who has 10 career sacks in five seasons, recorded three sacks against the Dolphins, one from the right, one from the left and one up the middle.
Considering Golston isn’t one of the Giants’ best pass rushers, it’s little wonder that Pro Bowl weakside linebacker Brian Burns feasted on the Dolphins’ pass protection along with fellow pass rushers Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
I’m not overly concerned about Paul. Yeah, he was ranked a middle-of-the-road 43rd among offensive tackles in 2025 by Pro Football Focus, but he’s had a good training camp and figures to have a good season.
On the other hand, Jackson, one of my favorite players to talk to in the locker room, has been shaky throughout training camp, mostly when facing Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson. To Jackson’s credit, Robinson was effective against Washington and the Giants.
I’ll give the Dolphins’ pass protection credit for being physical even while getting their butts kicked. Physicality has been a main theme for coach Jeff Hafley, and the Dolphins are taking it seriously.
Brewer thinks it can help the pass protection package until it gets its act together.
“Violence and physicality can fix a lot of things,” Brewer said. “And if things go wrong, you’re playing physical and you run through somebody’s face, that can fix everything.
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“We got that part down, the physical and violence part of it. Throw in the details and you’re unstoppable.”
Until then, life for Willis might be a struggle on dropbacks. We’ve recently seen how leaky pass protection can bring down a quality team.
Ask Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes why he lost Super Bowls to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. Mahomes was pressured a record 59 times and sacked three times by the Buccaneers, and sacked six times by the Eagles.
Ask New England quarterback Drake Maye how leaky pass protection upended last year’s Super Bowl gameplan against Seattle. He was sacked six times.
Imagine what leaky pass protection can do to a rebuilding team. And its quarterback.
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