New Dolphins OL Aaron Brewer feels center is his ‘destined position’
Despite starting every game last season at center for the Tennessee Titans, new Dolphins offensive lineman Aaron Brewer said he wasn’t given a promise of sticking at that position in Miami.
“I believe that’s to be determined,” Brewer said Friday during an introductory news conference. “Right now, I’m just really trying to figure out the best way I can help the team.”
Brewer, though, thinks that after playing just about everywhere on the offensive line in college and in the NFL, he’s landed at the perfect spot.
“I felt like that was always like my destined position, just for me being, like, more of an undersized offensive lineman,” Brewer said. “I’m not one of the big 320, 310, 300-pound offensive linemen. And so you don’t really see too many of the undersized offensive linemen being at guard. I just felt like me being undersized, it’s basically predetermined for me to be a center.”
The Dolphins signed the 6-1 and 295-pound Brewer to a reported three-year deal worth $21 million this week. With a trio of starters becoming unrestricted free agents, Miami quickly moved to add stability on the offensive line. What Brewer lacks in size, he makes up for in supreme athleticism, which should mesh well with head coach Mike McDaniel’s zone-based running scheme that requires linemen to move well in space.
“You got a fast team and that’s one of my strong suits,” Brewer said. “I’m one of the fastest offensive linemen, being able to get to first level, second level and open space and move pretty well. So, I feel like it’d be a nice fit for me.”
While Brewer felt like center was always the right position for him, he had to prove himself as an undrafted rookie out of Texas State. When he arrived in Tennessee, the Titans already had an established center in Ben Jones and a veteran offensive line. So, Brewer made his mark by being a versatile option. In his first two seasons, he logged at least one snap at every offensive line position but left tackle — and even got on the field as a jumbo tight end. In 2022, Brewer played 908 snaps at left guard and began his transition to center, playing 123 snaps. In 2023, he played all 1,049 of his snaps at center.
“Coming in, that was the role I was put into, to try to be the XL tight end, guard, center,” he said. “Learning, getting little gems from Ben and all the vets ahead of me. ... I was always working both [positions] in practice. ... I just had to trust the process.”
Brewer said snapping the ball was an adjustment because he had not played a full season of center since middle school.
“Just having that full season of being a center and just getting that reputation and those reps, I got comfortable learning my style of play with being a center,” he said.
The state of much of the Dolphins’ line remains up in the air. Right guard Robert Hunt signed with the Carolina Panthers, leaving a void next to whoever ends up snapping the ball to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Last year’s starting center Connor Williams and left guard Isaiah Wynn remain unrestricted free agents. Williams is expected to take time to sign with a team as he rehabs from the torn ACL he sustained last December.
While the Dolphins have been active in filling holes after seeing many key contributors leave in free agency, the offensive line still requires attention, with possibly two starters and depth needed.
But in Brewer, they have a player whose skill set and versatility could be a perfect fit in Miami.
This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 4:56 PM.
