Slimmed-Down Jackson 'Angry Excited' for Dolphins season

Austin Jackson is in the best shape of his Miami Dolphins career, but will that help him hold on to the starting right tackle spot?

The physique is leaner.

The belly has slimmed down, and the biceps appear to protrude.

Austin Jackson’s baby fat has turned into man muscle, and it’s a needed transformation because the time has come for the Miami Dolphins’ 2020 first-round pick to grow up.

Or better yet, man up.

Even Jackson knows the patience that comes with being a former first-round pick is fading, and the skeptics are beginning to outnumber the supporters, so the 23-year-old has done the only thing that can save his NFL career.

He’s put in the work this offseason, became more disciplined with his process as a professional athlete, and the end result is a body he can be proud of.

He’s not ready to become the guy who takes his shirt off in public places just yet, but it’s evident he’s cleaned up his diet and has taken residency in the weight room.

The shape he’s in at the start of the Dolphins OTA sessions was far superior to how he looked at any point in previous offseasons.

“I learned how to grow as a professional. I had an injury going into a contract year. I didn’t play in my third year, an option year,” Jackson said, referring to a right ankle injury that limited him to two games last season. “With these things around you, how do you focus on doing what you got to do? That was one of the big things for me, staying focused.”

AUSTIN JACKSON LOOKING TO TAKE A BIG LEAP

Jackson’s first three seasons were plagued by injuries and struggles as the Dolphins’ starting left tackle, left guard and right tackle for 30 of the 32 games he played.

Last year Jackson intended to settle into the starting right tackle spot, but he suffered a right ankle injury in the season opener and was never the same.

He was placed on injured reserve, but rehabbed, came back from the injury to start a late-November game against the Houston Texans, but re-injured the same ankle. The Dolphins shut him down again and Jackson said he had reconstructive surgery, which led to another rehab.

“Getting better as a professional, physically and mentally,” Jackson said. “Luckily for me, the injury allowed me to have more consistency with my routine,”

Does that mean Jackson, the 18th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, will play well enough to lock down a starting spot his draft status provided him?

The work he’s put into himself this offseason helps explain why the organization has given him a vote of confidence in words, and backed it up with actions.

But Jackson will need to perform at a high level to keep his starting role.

“I know the collection of the offensive line is best served in this current environment,” McDaniel said, referring to the competitive climate the Dolphins have created by adding veteran starters Dan Feeney, Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbuehi this offseason.

The trio of veterans collectively have started 139 regular season games, and many of those games have been at left guard and right tackle, which are viewed as Miami’s troublesome spots because of Liam Eichenberg and Jackson’s struggles the past few seasons.

“Who those people are, I don’t do the magnet slotting. I let people in situations whether they’re performing their lifelong dream of a job, decide their own fate,” McDaniel said about offensive line competition. “So just throw a bunch of guys in that fit the bill and I think the Dolphins are best served waiting to see who tells us who’s going to be a starter, or backup, or whatever.”

JACKSON EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE

Jackson is smart enough to know exactly where he stands, especially after the Dolphins decided not to trigger his fifth-year option, which would have guaranteed him $14.2 million million for the 2024 season.

By the Dolphins not optioning into the fifth year of his rookie contract, Jackson will become a free agent at the end of this season, so he’s aware that how he performs this season, the type of player he showcases himself to be, will dictate how in demand his services are.

“I’m angry excited,” Jackson said, addressing his mind-set for 2023. “I’m so excited to play that I’m angry.

“I’m always ready for the challenge. I’m never scared of the challenge. I’m not afraid of the hard work to do it. I enjoy performing, and my plan is to perform better.”