James is guarded about his future
Dolphins tackle and pending free agent looking for multi-year deal.
Ja’Wuan James has become quite guarded this season, literally and figuratively.
The Miami Dolphins’ starting right tackle for the past five seasons has been utilized more this season on pulling plays, which is a role typically assigned to guards, than at any other time in his football career.
James, who is usually friendly and easygoing, has also become extremely cautious after this past offseason taught him about the business side of the NFL. Being on the trading block in the spring and having to play on his fifth-year option instead of getting a multiyear extension impacted James.
So changes were made to do for James, who is earning $9.3 million this season, what offensive linemen regularly do for their quarterback: protect him.
This explains why the offensive linemen have barricaded their area of the locker room off with ropes typically used for VIP sections. All season, permission has had to be granted for anyone under 300 pounds to enter.
Permission to talk to James has been granted by his makeshift agent, Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who usually listens in on every James interview. Tunsil routinely vetoes questions and has a habit of adding his own two cents on topics, defending James.
This week James was asked where he thought he’d made the most improvement in his fifth seasons as an NFL starter.
“Everything,” Tunsil said with a defiant tone.
“It’s a lot of stuff I need to work on, be more consistent on, whether it’s my hands in pass protection or being lower in the run game,” James added. “Each week it’s something else to improve on. My game is not perfect. Every week I have to work on something.”
Especially, this week, considering James faces one of his toughest challenges by having to block Vikings left defensive end Danielle Hunter, who is terrorizing NFL right offensive tackles. Hunter has tallied 61 tackles and 12 1⁄2 sacks while putting together a season worthy of his first Pro Bowl berth.
It will be James’ responsibility to neutralize him, just as he did Chicago’s Khalil Mack earlier this season in Miami’s 31-28 overtime win over the Bears.
Make no mistake about it, James views Sunday’s game against the Vikings as a “money game” because a solid performance will boost his stock as a free agent.
This offseason he hopes to land a multiyear deal similar to the five-year, $47.5 million contract fellow right tackle Ricky Wagner got from the Lions in 2017 or the five-year, $56 million deal Lane Johnson received from the Eagles a couple seasons ago.
Helping James’ cause is the way Miami has utilized him this season, routinely having him pull to the left side on running plays.
“I wouldn’t say it’s common because a lot of those [tackles], they’re really long and they don’t have lower-body flexibility, and that’s one attribute that Ja’Wuan definitely has,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “He’s a good lowerbody athlete. He can bend. He can move.
“We felt that it was advantageous that week to pull, and he played really well overall and did a good job for us.”
James admits pulling takes a greater toll on his body.
“Laremy don’t want to do it,” he said.
“Hell, nah,” Tunsil added. “I’m good! I’ll leave that to the athletes.”
Tunsil pointed out one play that was highly successful for Miami last week against the Patriots, saying Jones was “pulling into an alley.”
“Whatever they call, I’m going to do,” said James, who according to ProFootballFocus.com has allowed five sacks this season and 14 pressures.
James and Tunsil hope the Dolphins notice the effort Jones has made to become a more consistent player and make the financial commitment needed to re-sign him.
James has vowed to take Tunsil to Tokyo when a multiyear deal is locked down this offseason, and the duo hopes it comes from the Dolphins so they can continue playing together.
But James needs to keep showing he’s worth that type of financial commitment, and his performance on Sunday could swing some votes.