‘Got to perform better.’ The Dolphins and the Austin Jackson conundrum

Miami Dolphins admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

‘Got to perform better.’ The Dolphins and the Austin Jackson conundrum

The Miami Dolphins could have a burgeoning problem on the right side.

His name is Austin Jackson.

Through two games, the starting right tackle’s play has been rather lackluster, specifically in pass protection where he has given up nine pressures, eight hurries and a pair of sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. The result: Miami’s passing attack has been unable to get going as quarterback Malik Willis has consistently found himself under duress.

“I want to play better,” Jackson said after Sunday’s 35-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “I got to perform better.”

Coach Jeff Hafley took some responsibility on Jackson’s poor play, calling it more inconsistent than anything else.

“Some good, some to get better,” Hafley said of Jackson’s play. “Plenty of opportunity for us to help him more. I think if we’re honest and we look at — he’s been up against [Maxx] Crosby and [Nick] Bosa, I think those are two of the better players in our league. So he’s had some good moments and I think just like anyone else, he’s had some tough moments against them and there are times when we can help him out more as coaches”

That said, the inability to hold up in pass protection, particularly on money downs, has become a bit egregious.

Take Miami’s first trip to the red zone early in the second quarter, for example. With the ball at the 49ers’ 10-yard line, all Jackson had to do was to hold up and let the play develop. The worst possible outcome would be a sack considering it was third-and-goal.

A sack, however, was exactly what happened as Jackson let Bosa get past him and force Willis out of the pocket to the left, essentially running for his life to escape the former Ohio State standout’s clutches.

If Jackson’s downward play continues, the Dolphins might be forced to explore options elsewhere.

The issue: that might not be possible as there’s currently not a better right tackle on the roster. And before you say “try Kadyn Proctor out there,” please remember that the Dolphins had every opportunity to try that when Jackson went down with an injury during training and elected not to do so.

“He’s going to start off with left guard and try to get good at one position,” Hafley said in training cap. “I think that’s fair to him and it’s the best thing. Ultimately, we need to do what’s best for our team. In this case, I think it’s best for him and I think it’s best for our team. So that’s what we’ve decided to start and we’ll go from there.”

Besides, Proctor is still mastering left guard. A switch at this stage would likely do more harm than good.

“We’ve only played two games,” Proctor said. “The ceiling is very high is what I see from how hard these guys work, how hard we put it in. The preparation throughout the week, like all last week, I feel like that was our best preparation up to this point. I mean, we’re playing some tough teams, some really good defenses. And it’s all about us, honestly, focusing on us, doing our one-eleventh.”

A former first-round pick, Jackson needs to show he’s the same player that made Miami one of the most lethal rushing teams in 2023. The Dolphins’ offense will only go as far as the offensive line goes and through two games, it’s simply not been good enough.

This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 7:00 AM.