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Dolphins excited to see what young offensive lineman can do as fill-in
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- Dolphins excited to see what young offensive lineman can do as fill-in
The Miami Dolphins are entering their Week 8 matchup with the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium without one of their starting offensive linemen, as left guard Kadyn Proctor is out due to a concussion.
Jarrett Kingston, who the Dolphins claimed off waivers at the start of the season, is expected to fill in for the first-round pick on Sunday, which will mark the second time that he's gotten into a game this year.
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Kingston played well on the right side while filling in for Jonah Savaiinaea against the Cincinnati Bengals, giving Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley some confidence in his play heading into this division game.
"I mean, when he came in in the Cincinnati game, that was a really good front, and I thought he did a really good job," Hafley said. "One with his assignments, sometimes it's tough coming in as a backup, but he was on point with his assignments. He was physical. He had some key blocks in that game, and he protected well. We've seen it in practice, and we have confidence in him.
"So switching sides, he's looked at this week in practice, and I'm sure he's done both in his career, so I'm excited for him. And as much as – look, football in this season, I mean, we're still early in the season. And what's going to happen is there's going to be some guys that go in; there's going to be some guys that go out. And is it the next man up? Yeah, it is. It's the next man up. And at the same time, you can look at it glass half full; we get to evaluate another player and develop another player. And that's what we're going to continue to do. And I'm excited that he's going to get his opportunity this week. And we have confidence that he'll take advantage of it."
Hafley's not the only one on the coaching staff who Kingston has impressed so far. In fact, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik addressed the offensive lineman's performance.
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"He's still a fresh face for me, a little bit," Slowik said. "He's been here working with the o-line guys for a while. He's working his tail off in individual. I watched him on scout team for a little bit early on. He'staking a lot of strides as far as taking in what we teach and we do fundamental and technique-wise, which is starkly different from where he came from. And it wasn't an easy transition for him. I think he's finally feeling confident in that.
"When he stepped in against Cincinnati, we're big believers in next man up. At the same time, Cincinnati has a really good front, especially on the interior. And you never quite know how that's going to go, and we ended the game in by in large I did not know that Jarrett was in the game. Which is a good thing when it's an o-lineman, it's a very good thing when the play caller never notices that. I thought he fought his tail off when I was watching that tape. I think that gave him a lot of confidence because he's just gone up since then, which has been fun to see. So I'm excited for him to have this opportunity."
The man who is set to line up next to Kingston for the second time this season is also excited to see him out there.
"What he did against Cincinnati, when he came in, he came in and did an outstanding job. He held it down," Aaron Brewer said. "And so if it's him again this week, I want to come out there and do the same thing. Don't think anything is going to be easier. So just prepare like it's your last game. Prepare like every play is like your last play. And that's how I'd want him to come out there and play."
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The 26-year-old entered the league as a sixth-round pick with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 after a collegiate career split between Washington State (2018-22) and USC (2023). After failing to make the roster out of camp as a rookie, he's spent the last two years split between the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans, appearing in nine games and playing 33 offensive snaps.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins excited to see what young offensive lineman can do as fill-in
