(Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire)
The Miami Dolphins have put things together this season, making them one of the AFC’s top teams.
One significant contributing factor to their success has been the overall health of their team.
Most of the Dolphins’ best playmakers have stayed healthy, including Tua Tagovailoa, who dealt with concussions last season.
To keep Tagovailoa safe, Ian Rapoport recently announced that the Dolphins signed Austin Jackson to a three-year contract extension.
Sources: The #Dolphins and RT Austin Jackson have agreed to terms on a 3-year, $36M contract extension to keep Jackson in Miami. The max value is $39M, including $20.7M guaranteed.
On the heels of a career year protecting Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside, Jackson gets paid. pic.twitter.com/74L65n2f9r
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2023
Jackson is the Dolphins’ right tackle, who, as Rapoport points out, is in charge of protecting Tagovailoa’s blind side.
The left tackle position is typically the most crucial on the line, but because Tagovailoa is left-handed, the right tackle is more important.
Jackson and the rest of the Dolphins’ offensive line have only allowed 17 sacks this year.
This has helped Tagovailoa stay upright, which was his most significant problem last year.
He was knocked to the turf several times, making his concussion symptoms more problematic as the year went on.
Now that a solid line protects him, things have changed.
Jackson is locked down for the foreseeable future, indicating that the team believes in Tagovailoa as their franchise star.
The Dolphins are on their way to a playoff berth and could find themselves with a first-round bye if they can continue to win games.
The race for the top position in the AFC remains heated, and it is a race that will likely go to the last week of the year.
Who will come out on top hinges on health, and if the Dolphins stay healthy, they have proven they can beat any team standing in their way.
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