What a Miami Dolphins rookie did to an $85 million player. And Miami makes lineup changes

Under the “Jeopardy” category of “impressive Miami Dolphins achievements through five weeks of the season,” this would rank highly:

The Dolphins have managed to break in three rookie offensive linemen without a single one of them relinquishing a sack.

With rookie left tackle Austin Jackson out for an extended period with a foot injury, rookie second-rookie pick Robert Hunt slid into the lineup at right tackle — alongside first-year right guard Solomon Kindley — with veteran Jesse Davis shifting to left tackle.

And the results were encouraging.

Pro Football Focus graded Hunt the best among all Dolphins offensive linemen Sunday and seventh overall among the 26 players who appeared in the game on offense for Miami. Hunt, who was making his first NFL start, was given above-average marks in both run blocking and pass protection.

PFF said Hunt permitted two quarterback hurries and Kindley one but neither allowed a sack.

“I think I played well,” Hunt said. “There were a lot of emotions.”

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, the former Fox NFL offensive lineman, praised Hunt and Kindley.

“Game’s first play, bomb to Preston Williams for 47 yards,” Baldinger said.

“You can’t slide and protect any better than this — Robert Hunt sitting on Arik Armstead. Armstead was [considered the biggest Pro Bowl snub] last year and Hunt is just sitting on him; he’s not going anywhere. That’s a two-point… legal takedown. When they drafted Kindley, they drafted a John Deere tractor. He never stops pushing, never stops driving.”

Armstead agreed to a five-year, $85 million deal with the 49ers in March. Brian Flores praised how Hunt and Kindley played on Sunday.

GODCHAUX REDUCTION

Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who will become an unrestricted free agent in a few months, continues to see his playing time reduced.

Godchaux logged just 26 of the Dolphins’ 64 defensive snaps on Sunday.

In the absence of defensive end/linebacker Shaq Lawson, Miami gave more playing time to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (46 defensive snaps) and defensive lineman Zach Sieler, who started the game and logged 44 snaps.

PFF rated Van Ginkel third and Sieler 11th among all 21 players who played on defense for Miami on Sunday.

Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker were ranked first and second, Sam Eguavoen and Eric Rowe fourth and fifth.

Other playing time changes:

▪ Cornerback: Byron Jones returned after missing two games with a groin injury and played 56 of Miami’s 64 defensive snaps. Jones had four passes thrown in his coverage area and two were caught, for 35 yards.

Howard played 54 snaps, allowed no completions in four targets and came away with his third interception of the season and 15th since December 2017 — most in the NFL during that time frame.

Nik Needham played 33 snaps, operating as the first-team nickel corner, while Noah Igbinoghene’s defensive snaps dropped to 10 in the wake of Jones’ return to the lineup. Jamal Perry played 13 defensive snaps.

▪ Safety: Rowe played a bit more than some previous weeks (55 snaps, one less than safety Bobby McCain) and allowed just two of six passes thrown against him to be caught for 31 yards.

The Dolphins did good work against Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, who had four catches (in seven targets) for 44 yards one week after catching 15 passes for 183 yards against Philadelphia.

Against Rowe, Kittle caught one of two targets for 12 yards. He didn’t catch either of the passes thrown to him with Jamal Perry or Brandon Jones in coverage.

Rookie Jones and veteran Kavon Frazier each logged nine snaps at safety.

▪ Linebacker: After playing a bit less than usual against Seattle, Baker returned to being an every down player, logging 63 of 64 defensive snaps, with Kyle Van Noy 56, Van Ginkel 46, Kamu Grugier-Hill 37, Elandon Roberts 30 and Eguaoven 8.

▪ Tight end: With Durham Smythe out with a knee injury, the Dolphins gave 38 snaps to tight end Adam Shaheen (who caught a TD pass), 30 to Mike Gesicki and 23 to fullback Chandler Cox, who attends the tight end group meetings.

▪ Running back: Myles Gaskin got 42 snaps, compared with 21 for Matt Breida and 10 for Patrick Laird. Jordan Howard and Salvon Ahmed were inactive. Howard already is guaranteed $5 million this season, but his $5 million salary and cap hit for 2021 would both be eliminated if he’s eventually cut.

▪ Elsewhere: Rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. received 10 snaps, including three as a wildcat quarterback; he ran 4 yards on three rushing attempts. He also made his first NFL start.... Not only was rookie defensive end Tyshun Render elevated from the practice squad, but he played eight defensive snaps while rookie fifth-round pick Jason Strowbridge was inactive for a fifth game in a row.... Sieler continues to play more than rookie second-round defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (11 snaps on Sunday).

NOTABLE

▪ Not only were the 43 points the sixth-highest road scoring output in franchise history, but Miami had not scored that many outside of South Florida since a 51-45 loss to the Jets in September of 1986.

▪ The Dolphins’ nine scoring drives on Sunday were their most since at least 1991.

▪ Ryan Fitzpatrick’s passer rating of 154.4 against the 49ers was the second highest of his career and third highest ever by a Dolphin, behind games by Jay Fielder (156.0 in 2003 at Dallas) and Ryan Tannehill (155.3, in 2018 against Oakland).

▪ Fitzpatrick’s 21-yard TD pass to DeVante Parker on a third-and-goal marked the NFL’s longest TD play on a third-and-goal since 2001, when the Saints’ Aaron Brooks threw a 28-yard TD pass to Willie Jackson.