How Brunskill Went from AAF to Key Dolphins Role Player

The Miami Dolphins added a lot of free agents late in the 2025 offseason. Some have worked out better than others, but one player has clearly become a valuable member of the team despite an unconventional role and path.

Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill was signed in late July to provide depth up front. However, Brunskill’s most significant contribution to the team hasn’t come on the offensive line — he’s given the Dolphins a whole new look on offense by playing tight end in jumbo formations.

“He’s done an outstanding job earning each and every rep,” coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday about Brunskill playing tight end. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s, I don’t know how long the list is, but he’s one of the players who can say he’s started at six different positions in the National Football League. That list can’t be long.”

Brunskill’s first reps this season came at right guard when Kion Smith was benched in Week 3, and he’s also played some center in garbage time.

“I get a text Wednesday morning, ‘hey, this is the place we got for this week,’” Brunskill said about his unique role. “And then usually it compounds, and like, there's something added and stuff. So by the end of the week, there'll be, like, a whole new set for that week.

“And so my idea is, as good as your guys. It's kind of week-to-week basis. I think they watch the tape and stuff and try to see how they can utilize it and if it's an advantage that week or not. And so kind of go with that.”

Brunskill’s ability to roll with the punches isn’t surprising considering how he got here.

Brunskill’s Journey to Miami

The utility offensive lineman’s path to becoming a pseudo-tight end was anything but traditional. He went undrafted out of San Diego State in the 2018 NFL Draft but signed with the Falcons’ practice squad for the 2018 season.

However, in January of 2019, Brunskill joined the newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF) and played for former NFL coach Mike Martz with the San Diego Fleet.

That tryout — of sorts — landed him a spot with the San Francisco 49ers just a few months later, something Brunskill tells other practice squad players about.

“Shoot, I talk to the practice squad guys all the time because I was a P-squad guy in Atlanta, and I felt like I was good enough to play, and I never got much of an opportunity,” Brunskill said. “And then I decided not to sign the futures (contract) there, and then ended up with the Fleet, and then it kind of jump-started my career into getting the chance for the Niners, and then I made the active roster and was able to play right away.

“So this is kind of one of those things, those guys like, sometimes it comes down to, it's not always that you're not a good enough player. It's just either you're on a team that has a lot of players and they're either stacked, or they really like the players they got, and so you don't get the opportunity, or it's, you know, one of those things where, like, you just don't fit that scheme, and then you got to get to a team that you fit better.”

San Francisco is where he worked under McDaniel, the 49ers’ run game coordinator, for the first time. Brunskill played in 14 games and made seven starts that season, including starting in the 49ers’ three NFC playoff games before they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.

Brunskill started at right tackle and right guard during that run and became a starter for the 49ers the following season. During the next three seasons, Brunskill started 35 of 47 games played for the 49ers.

He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he logged 24 more starts at multiple positions. Before arriving in Miami, Brunskill had starting experience at guard, center, and tackle.

Funnily enough, tight end technically wasn’t entirely new for him.

Brunskill’s Previous Tight End Experience

Brunskill was a walk-on at San Diego State, and he was actually a tight end there for the first three seasons of his career. He played offensive line in high school, but the Aztecs saw something in him at tight end.

He got some real reps at tight end, too. He caught 15 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons combined.

As mentioned earlier, Brunskill kicked out to offensive tackle for his final season, showing a glimpse of the positional versatility he’s now known for.

Of course, Brunskill also got some jumbo-formation reps in the NFL. McDaniel mentioned that the idea was brought to him by a combination of offensive coordinator Frank Smith, pass game coordinator Bobby Slowik, and offensive line coach Butch Barry.

“There was a cut up in one of my folders…I came into work and watched a cutup of [Brunskill] doing tight end responsibilities just last season and in previous seasons,” McDaniel said. “It was the first thing I did from a game-plan perspective on the week of the Atlanta week.”

Regardless of how Brunskill got to this point, there’s no doubt he’s become a part of the Dolphins’ success on offense.

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