The Book on Aaron Brewer
The Miami Dolphins potentially filled one of their most significant needs Monday, agreeing to terms with former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Aaron Brewer on a three-year, $21 million contract.
Brewer started every game at center for the Titans in 2023 and, barring a surprise reunion, figures to be the Dolphins’ replacement for Connor Williams in 2024.
Brewer was an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Texas State but stuck on the Titans’ practice squad before climbing his way into the starting lineup. He became a full-time starter in 2022 after making five starts in 2021.
We watched Brewers’ film to determine whether he’s a good signing and how he can help the Dolphins next season.
Brewer’s Strengths
Versatility
One of the reasons the Titans held on to Brewer when he was a UDFA was his positional versatility. Brewer started three games at right guard in 2021, 15 games at left guard in 2022 and 17 starts at center in 2023.
He’s more than capable of playing all three offensive line positions. His best tape is definitely at center, but his versatility is an immediate boon to Miami’s depleted offensive line group.
Last season, the Dolphins had to do a lot of cross-training on the interior of the offensive line. Injuries took their toll on the unit, leading to some players playing out of place.
In theory, Brewer can help the Dolphins mitigate that moving forward. Brewer can step in immediately if someone like Liam Echienberg is at his best playing left guard and the Dolphins' right guard goes down.
It’s obvious, but that versatility shouldn’t be undervalued, especially with how unlucky the Dolphins were with injuries last season.
Movement Skills
This is probably the reason the Dolphins targeted Brewer in the first place. We know how much Mike McDaniel covets speed on offense. However, it doesn’t seem like he’s reserving that love of speed for the skill positions.
Brewer is a wildly athletic center on film. Tennessee asked him to make a lot of reach blocks and get to the second level in space. He spent a lot of time cutting linebackers and sealing backside runs.
Connor Williams and Isaiah Wynn offered that last season, but the team clearly missed it when those players went down. Brewer isn’t quite as stout as those players, but there’s no question he can reach the same landmarks.
Despite going undrafted, Brewer tested incredibly well ahead of the 2020 draft. He finished with an 8.95 out of 10 relative athletic score (RAS). He finished with above-average marks in the vertical jump (34 inches), broad jump (9 feet 5 inches) and 40-yard dash (4.97).
His 1.69 10-yard split — more important than the 40 for offensive linemen — received an elite grade.
The Dolphins love to run outside zone concepts, and Brewer, with his athletic numbers, should have no problem winning in that area.
The screen game is another area where the Brewer’s athletic ability can help Miami. According to TruMedia, the Dolphins’ 12.7 percent attempted screen rate ranked fourth in the NFL.
Getting someone with Brewer’s athletic ability should open up many possibilities in the screen game. McDaniel doesn’t need more excuses to come up with creative play designs, but Brewer gives him one.
Run Blocking
We mentioned how Brewer’s athletic ability can be an asset in the running game already, but his strengths are more than that.
For an undersized center, Brewer has a little pop to his game. In the traditional sense, he’s not a true road-grader, which might disappoint some who wanted the Dolphins to get “tougher.”
That said, if Brewer latches on in the running game, he can create movement up front. He did his best work when engaged with smaller second-level defenders. He took Ravens All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith for a ride downfield in their matchup last season.
Besides showing a willingness to punish smaller players downfield, Brewer’s run-blocking technique is pretty solid. He’s at his best working zone concepts where he uses his quickness to get across defenders’ faces and then seal them inside.
Making reach blocks on defensive tackles (3-techniques, specifically) isn’t easy, and Brewer does it with good hand placement and timing all the time on tape.
All of those traits should aid him in the Dolphins’ zone-heavy approach.
Aaron Brewer's Shortcomings
Pass Protection
All of Brewer’s worst moments are in pass protection. He allowed six sacks and 34 pressures in 2023 and four sacks and 31 pressures in 2022, according to PFF.
For reference, in Williams’ only full season with the Dolphins (2022), he allowed just 16 pressures and three sacks. Eichenberg, who played some center last season, allowed 24 pressures and five sacks in 2023.
Brewer is much worse than Williams in pass protection and roughly in the same category as Eichenberg. That’s not ideal for the Dolphins.
On tape, many of Brewer’s struggles appear to settle on his lack of power. He looks thin on tape, and the Titans listed him at 295 pounds. That lack of weight allows interior defensive linemen to get into his chest and collapse the pocket.
Collapsing the interior of the pocket on a quarterback who doesn’t move much, like Tua Tagovailoa, is a big problem. Brewer’s anchor in pass protection will have to improve a lot if he’s going to stay Miami’s starter past this season.
Another area of concern with Brewer’s pass protection is how he handles stunts up front. The center is typically a position that calls out certain protection adjustments up front. Some of those come from the quarterback, too, but it should be a team effort.
It’s hard to know just how much responsibility Brewer was given off film, but the results weren’t great. The Titans’ interior line had many communication breakdowns against pressure last season.
The Dolphins offense couldn’t handle pressure last season, and signing Brewer will not create positive change on that front.
The bottom line with Aaron Brewer
Given the Dolphins’ cap situation, they were always going to pursue talented but flawed players in free agency. Brewer fits that mold to a T.
He’s also a perfect schematic fit for the offense. The Dolphins want the center to be an athletic force, and Brewer is one of the league’s most explosive, quick centers. That will open up new concepts in the running game and give Miami a higher floor on its staples.
Miami’s scheme is also well suited to mitigate Brewer’s struggles in pass protection. No quarterback gets rid of the ball faster than Tagovailoa. If the ball is gone, Brewer can’t give up a sack.
That makes sense on paper, but we saw how that strategy betrayed the Dolphins against quality teams last season. Teams like Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City forced Tagovailoa to hold on to the ball, allowing them to beat up Miami’s sub-par offensive line.
Brewer won’t solve that problem right now. That said, there is room for modest optimism. Brewer has all the physical traits to be an above-average pass protector. He needs to get stronger and add some consistency.
Overall, Brewer is a solid signing. He has legitimate upside, is a perfect scheme fit and didn’t break the bank. Just don’t expect him to transform the Dolphins’ offensive line on his own.
