‘I did him a disservice’—Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik claims some blame for one player’s early struggles
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator blames himself for one player’s rough start to the 2026 season.
One of the biggest storylines around the start of the Miami Dolphins‘ 2026 season is the number of sacks that have been surrendered through the first two weeks. Miami quarterback Malik Willis has taken nine sacks thus far — far too many. Willis has avoided several others as well, as Miami has been chasing the score late in games.
The majority of that pressure has been crashing off of Willis’ right, where veteran right tackle Austin Jackson is struggling to get back into the swing of things. But offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, when asked about Jackson, did something that every player appreciates. Slowik pointed the thumb at himself for some of Jackson’s hardship early on.
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik deserves credit for taking some blame
“(Austin Jackson) was in camp, he missed a little bit of time in camp, and now it’s Week 1. He’s got one of the best pass rushers and run players in the NFL lined up against him. I did him a disservice in the fourth quarter in that game. We were basically in two minute, so we had a lot of one-on-ones in that game, which isn’t what we wanted. That wasn’t our plan in that game.
And then I thought last week he was better. I thought the whole o-line was better. I thought everybody across the board last week was better. We just missed some opportunities in the red zone and on 3rd down in the second half. But I thought he was just fine last week, and I think he’s going to continue to grow as he keeps going through this.”
— Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik
Jackson needs to play better, and the Dolphins can do more to help him in obvious drop back situations. Both things can be true. I give Slowik a lot of credit for going out of his way to assume part of the blame for how Jackson’s early start has unfolded. And, to be fair to everyone involved, there is so much new in Miami this season. Everyone is learning the limits of what the Dolphins have to work with.
And, from an economic standpoint, Miami has less than anyone. It’s just the reality of the situation Miami is in this season.
So consider this something to keep an eye on. If the Dolphins fall behind on the scoreboard on Sunday against the Chiefs, how does Jackson do? Does Slowik go straight back to 5-man protections and leave Jackson on an island? If he does, how does Jackson play against not Nick Bosa and Maxx Crosby? Based on Slowik’s comments, we should at least expect something to be different.
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