LoFi’s Lowdown – Austin “What to Do” Jackson

Like a lot of Dolphins players, Austin Jackson’s start to the season was terrible, league-worst-level terrible. Our veteran but still young twenty-seven-year-old right tackle has been a liability in the pass game and serviceable in the run game, posting so far this year a 43.7 PFF grade, broken down to 41.2 in pass and 55.3 in run. This ranks Austin Jackson 71st among 72 qualified offensive tackles. Yes, he has been trending in the right direction, partly due to the downgrade in competition. Austin posted his best PFF grade, 66, in Week 5 against a not-so-scary Bengals edge, Myles Murphy, who himself ranks 104th out of 106 qualified edge defenders in PFF’s overall defensive grade but still managed 5 pressures.

Are we shopping Austin Jackson? Is another team looking at Austin Jackson as a fix to their tackle problem? Austin Jackson’s $7 million, 1-year restructured contract, with a base of $1.215 million and $5.475 million guaranteed, is very attractive in the tackle world. But is there a team that believes he is even an upgrade to their own depth chart? And he is a free agent at the end of the season.

What does the franchise do? So far, keeping him playing, hoping he regains some of his previous play, where it was still average for the most part, is the path forward. For Austin Jackson, this is a contract year, so staying healthy and improving his game benefits him by keeping him on the field, not the Miami Dolphins. If Austin Jackson starts playing well, his price goes up. If Austin continues to be one of the worst tackles, well, we are paying that price already, and do we do it again? But in an evaluation year, is Austin Jackson being considered as a potential player on the Miami Dolphins next year?

Here is where I might stand: Before the trade deadline, offer Austin Jackson backup tackle money based on his current performance in a 3-year deal, explaining that we want to evaluate other options on our team as starters and move Austin to backup. And to add to the pitch, this will help extend his career with his injury concerns from the past. If Austin Jackson decides not to take the offer, then I try to trade him before the deadline.

Why give Austin Jackson an offer now? The contract would match the performance, so it would be cheaper to sign him now and still give the Dolphins a veteran tackle who is still young and would be a worthwhile depth piece at a position we need answers to. When does Austin become the backup? Immediately upon signing, I would elevate Caedan Wallace to evaluate him as the starting right tackle.

What if we can’t trade him or sign him on the cheap? I still move forward with evaluating other players at right tackle and put Austin Jackson at backup. Knowing he is not going to sign on the cheap (he may reconsider by the end of the year), I can move forward with trying to find the answer because, so far, Austin Jackson is not the answer, and his best football so far is behind him and probably not gonna be in front of him.

Austin Jackson, you’re officially on Lo-Fi’s watch list.