The Miami Dolphins are often known for having one of the league’s worst offensive lines, but the 2023 season was a step in th right direction for the unit. The Dolphins took the field with more than ten starting offensive line combinations and ranked fourth in sacks allowed and sixth in rushing yards per game.
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Of course, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ranked No. 1 among quarterbacks in having the quickest time to throw — releasing the ball in 2.36 seconds, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That said, Austin Jackson has done his part in protecting his blindside at right tackle. Keep in mind, Tagovailoa is the league’s only quarterback who throws with his left hand.
Jackson, 24, inked a three-year contract extension in early December while having a career year in his fourth NFL season. He started 16 games throughout the regular season and allowed four sacks and eight called penalties throughout 989 snaps this season.
On top of that, Next Gen Stats lists Jackson with the league’s second-lowest pressure rate among all right tackles. Zach Tom (Green Bay Packers) leads the league with a pressure rate allowed of 5.5 percent, and Jackson is right behind him at 6 percent.
The Packers held Micah Parsons to just 1 pressure on 19 pass rushes, his lowest pressure rate in a game in his career (5.3%).
Parsons had his only pressure come on an unblocked pass rush. Right tackle Zach Tom held him to 0 pressures in 9 matchups.#GBvsDAL | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/mlwKUrL3g2
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 15, 2024
Miami enters the offseason $40 million over the salary cap with starting center Connor Williams and starting right guard Robert Hunt set to be unrestricted free agents. Tough decisions loom for general manager Chris Grier and the Dolphins, but Jackson’s three-year extension adds continuity to a unit that’s slowly headed in the right direction.