This past spring, shortly after the NFL draft, Josh Webb of Trojans Wire interviewed Miami sports analyst and talk show host Alex Donno about USC’s Austin Jackson and how he fit into the Dolphins’ plans.
Donno said this about Miami’s expected handling of Jackson, and how much time the organization will give Jackson to develop as an offensive line prospect:
“I fully expect Jackson to have at least two seasons where he’s essentially “on scholarship” with the Dolphins. If they were looking for a player to judge by just one season, he likely would not have been their selection at number 18 overall. The organization views him as someone with sky-high potential, but possibly needing a bit of seasoning. Jackson will likely be brought up on a similar schedule to the quarterback he was drafted to protect. As Tua Tagovailoa is phased in gracefully behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jackson should see similar treatment behind veteran tackles Juli’en Davenport and Jesse Davis.”
That conversation occurred in early May.
Fast forward to the middle of August.
The folks at Dolphins Wire are keeping track of training camp, less than one month before the scheduled start of the 2020 NFL season.
Here’s this nugget from Dolphins Wire’s Kyle Crabbs:
“The Dolphins have a clear battle at left tackle in Julien Davenport and rookie Austin Jackson.”
If Jackson really is pushing Davenport in camp, that’s a great early sign of his development. It is easy to be optimistic and enthusiastic about Jackson’s ceiling as a player.
Yet — though this might make me a killjoy — I would advise some caution here.
I’m not saying Jackson is in any way overrated. I think he can certainly be great.
The more instructive point is this: We are not operating in a normal NFL preseason context.
Though four preseason games have always been far too many for the NFL, and even though the pandemic might have awakened the NFL to the need to reduce the number of preseason games — maybe we will have only two in 2021 after the pandemic lifts (assuming it does) — it remains that Austin Jackson hasn’t yet been tested in live NFL action.
There is no substitute for in-game competition against other NFL players. That’s what Austin Jackson needs the most. Without preseason games — which we would have had by now if the pandemic hadn’t hit — Jackson isn’t getting the benefit of a normal NFL preseason.
If you read the Alex Donno interview linked to above, you will see that Donno thinks Miami’s offense can evolve into a fast and physical unit. If you read the Dolphins Wire story linked to above, you will see Kyle Crabbs make the point that Miami has large, physical players and will try to lean on opponents in fourth quarters of games.
So, is the Dolphins’ offense going to be fast or grinding? Will it be based on pace or brute force? Obviously, some people will say “Why not both?”
The point is understandable, but the larger discussion here relates to the identity the Dolphins are trying to cultivate on offense. We really won’t know until we see a live game, and even then, the outlook might not emerge for a few weeks.
I’d love to tell you I know how Austin Jackson is evolving in Miami. The more responsible answer is to tell you that I don’t know, and that we have to wait… which in many ways is a fitting answer for a pandemic in which we have had to wait a lot more in our lives.