The focus of the Miami Dolphins’ offensive line outlook right now is, understandably, focused on two separate points: both of the offensive guard spots and second-year offensive tackle Patrick Paul. Paul is charged with stepping into the shoes of Terron Armstead at left tackle, which is not an easy task. The Dolphins have two new guards for 2025 between free agent signing James Daniels and rookie draft choice Jonah Savaiinaea.

Don’t sleep on the impact of Austin Jackson’s return, though. Jackson was a breakout starter for the Dolphins in 2023 after struggling through his first three seasons of play in Miami as a first-round draft choice in Miami’s supersized 2020 draft class. The stigma on Jackson still lingers to some degree, but he’s a tailor-made fit for McDaniel’s wide-zone running scheme while also boasting displacement power in the vertical run game.

Jackson, who was extended on a new contract near the end of the 2023 season, was injured on a freak incident on the final play of Miami’s Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills this season and missed the remainder of 2024. His departure coincided with the Dolphins’ running game falling off a cliff. This past year, Miami ran the ball 243 times with Jackson on the field and 205 times without him on the field. The splits and efficiency numbers are stunning — especially given that Miami has stability all season amid the interior trio with and without Jackson on the field. 

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With Jackson playing in 2024, the Dolphins averaged:

• 4.4 yards per carry
• 1.52 yards before contact per rush
• 50% 3rd-down conversion rate

Without Jackson, those numbers nose-dived. Miami’s rushing numbers without Jackson in 2024 were abysmal:

• 3.5 yards per carry
• 0.82 yards before contact per rush
• 25% 3rd-down conversion rate

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His replacement, Kendall Lamm, was an older veteran who was much more refined in pass protection and lacked the rare athleticism that made Jackson a first-round draft choice back in 2020. Miami’s run scheme faltered as a result — the blocking surfaces struggled to create the stretch and stress required on the edge to create cutback lanes for Miami’s blocks. Too often the point of attack got bottled up behind Lamm when the team tried running to his side. 

And the short-yardage success rate fell off a cliff, too. Miami converted 51.9% of 3rd-down and four or less yards to go attempts with Jackson on the field. They only attempted eight runs in that situation the rest of the season after Jackson’s injury in Week 9 and averaged 0.3 yards per attempt. The Dolphins, on those eight attempts averaged -1.0 yards before contact per rush. 

The good news for the Dolphins is that not only is Austin Jackson set to be back, he’s looking better than ever as Miami digs into the meat of their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) schedule. Mike McDaniel offered a strong endorsement for Jackson during his Tuesday press availability.

“Austin Jackson is playing out on the field, moving to the best – as good as he’s ever looked, finding ways to improve upon his real growth…if there’s a more ready version of him, I’m super excited. That’s a level up. He’s ready to go and working each and every day to make sure that stays to fruition. But he looks completely healthy and working his game as we’d want it.”

Reports had Jackson logging time with the first-team offense during 11-on-11 periods at today’s OTAs session. Given Armstead’s retirement and two new projected starters, Jackson’s reinsertion into the unit should not be overlooked. The stigma around Jackson is due to change, especially on the heels of seeing what life looked like without him in 2024.

He’s not an All-Pro talent. But he’s a physically-gifted player whose strengths translate well into what the Dolphins want to do while also providing some short-yardage punch to run behind. That, for a full season in 2025, would go a long way in fixing several of Miami’s lingering woes from a disappointing 2024. Mike McDaniel seems to feel his right tackle is on the brink of a triumphant return and ready to remind what he brings to the table.