After landing Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins are making two big changes to their starting offensive line in their first year under new head coach Jeff Hafley.

With Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson already slated to start at left and right tackle, respectively, Proctor is set to kick inside to left guard, which will also force Jonah Savaiinaea to flip to the right side.

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Savaiinaea played right guard in college before the Dolphins took him in the 2025 NFL draft, and seems excited to be moving back.

“It’s always good to move back to your original spot,” Savaiinaea said. “I’ve always been kicking off that left leg, but I feel good being back on the right side. But at the end of the day, I’m more happy that we’re back out here working and excited to kick off Year 2.”

Savaiinaea acknowledged the challenge that came with flipping to the left side for the first time in his career, which led to him grading as the worst guard in the NFL last year by Pro Football Focus.

“It was a little bit, because I’ve never really focused on playing left side until I got here, obviously,” he said, “but that wasn’t a reason why or an excuse in my play. Wherever I am on the line, is to contribute to this team.”

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Miami’s head coach has even seen a difference early in organized team activities.

“He seems more comfortable there, talking to (offensive line coaches) Zach (Yenser) and Matt (Applebaum). They seemto believe he’s more comfortable there,” Hafley said. “But it’s also Year 2 for him, so he’s going to be more comfortable, period, whether he played on the left side or whether he played on the right side. He’s got more cumulative reps and muscle memory on the one side.

“Is it a mental thing? Is it a physical thing? If you ask Jonah, he feels good on the right side.”

For now, Savaiinaea has to focus on what he can control and trust that he knows the right thing to do.

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“Don’t second-guess yourself,” he said. “Don’t second-guess good decisions on the field. So, my mentality is that for this year. When we break out of the huddle, go.”

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This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Second-year Dolphins lineman seems grateful to move spots in 2026