MIAMI GARDENS — Patrick Paul is 6-feet-7 and 326 pounds, numbers that don’t do this mountain of a man justice. Better to put it this way: He’s so huge that no matter how many times you see him, he leaves you thinking that somehow, he’s even bigger today than yesterday.Paul is in his third NFL season, the starting left tackle of the Miami Dolphins, and, well, the big man has something big to say. During a discussion on the Dolphins’ offensive line, Paul was asked what the ceiling is for the unit — and if anyone on the team qualifies as an expert on ceilings, it ought to be the guy for whom headroom can be a daily hazard.“There’s no ceiling,” Paul said. “We’re definitely going to do it.”Buy Miami Dolphins tickets on StubHubYes, this came straight from a member of the Miami Dolphins’ offensive line, which regularly ranks among the more-maligned units in the NFL. History says it’s an easy target, the problem with that being, NFL games aren’t decided by history.Since the success or failure of the line will play a major role in how the season unfolds for this young team, let’s instead deal with 2026.And, to be upfront, there are two immediate concerns: First, will the newfound confidence in guard Jonah Savaiinaea manifest itself in the type of play in his second season that wasn’t apparent when he arrived as a second-round pick? And second, can right tackle Austin Jackson stay healthy?If the answer to those questions is yes, it’ll be a load off for coach Jeff Hafley and quarterback Malik Willis, because they can turn De’Von Achane loose, which is the best hope for this team.Yes, there’s nothing like a solid offensive line to cover for shortcomings on any 53-man roster. And Miami’s line benefits from Willis’ escapability, something that Tua Tagovailoa lacked. Miami’s line has been the source of consternation for so long that it’s easy to overlook the pedigree of the current starting five. Start with Paul. He was drafted 55th overall in 2024. Know what that makes him? The lowest-drafted player of the five, with a slight exception. Center Aaron Brewer wasn’t drafted — and yet last year, he was named second-team All-Pro. Savaiinaea went 37th overall, left guard Kadyn Proctor went 12th overall this year and right tackle Jackson went 18th in 2020.You’d have to go back a decade to the Mike Pouncey days for the last time the Dolphins had this much invested in their offensive line.Proctor is only a week into his first NFL training camp. Nobody knows if he’s what the Dolphins think he is, although Hafley said Proctor’s performance thus far has been “exactly what we thought we’d get.” Hafley talked about an interception return by Tyrel Dodson in practice — a play in which Proctor stood out for his hustle on Dodson’s return to limit the damage.“Brewer and Proctor took off and I was almost like, ‘Oh my gosh, one, this is awesome. Two, let’s make sure they don’t really hit anybody,’ ” H
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