Scouting New Miami Dolphins Center Aaron Brewer: Can Scheme Unlock His Full Potential?

The Miami Dolphins have reportedly agreed to terms with former Tennessee Titans center Aaron Brewer — his traits make him an obvious fit and a potential lateral move for the Dolphins.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before — your Miami Dolphins have some needs along the offensive line that need tending. As sure as the sun rises in the east, Miami’s offensive line is a central talking point of a Dolphins offseason. The unit had perhaps the most talent it has had in a decade in 2023, only to see injuries mar the progress and potential to the group.

So much so that a whopping nine(!) offensive linemen played at least 392 offensive snaps for the team this season.

Sometimes you just have to laugh so that you don’t cry.

Sadly for Miami, several of their more prominent pieces of the puzzle up front saw their contracts expire this offseason. Guard Robert Hunt, a rousing success from the 2020 draft class, is off to Carolina after being offered a 5-year, $100M (not a typo) contract. Center Connor Williams is still on the market after holding out of OTAs in the summer in search of a new deal but he may remain unsigned for a while; he tore his ACL in Miami’s crippling December loss to Tennessee.

Miami’s viability as a return destination appears in question for Williams too, thanks to one of the Dolphins’ several successful negotiations from this week.

That same Tennessee team that claimed the Dolphins’ starting center for the stretch run and a critical contest in the AFC race has now provided Miami with their replacement.

Welcome, Aaron Brewer.

The newest member of the Miami Dolphins' offensive line has become quite the success story after going undrafted out of Texas State back in 2020. He signed with the Titans as a UDFA; slipping in the draft thanks in large part to his undersized frame.

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Relative Athletic Score (RAS) courtesy of @Mathbomb.

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Brewer has logged time as a starter at both guard and center for the Titans in the last two seasons in spite of his stature; making the most of some elite agility and quickness along the offensive line in a zone oriented scheme in Tennessee. In Miami, Brewer figures to step into the void left behind by Williams and should be offered the opportunity to take his game to new heights in Mike McDaniel’s offensive system. The traits are present for him to develop into a quality starter.

The tape affirms.

Range And Blocking in Space

The Miami Dolphins’ biggest development offensively may well have been the team’s perimeter screen game. The Dolphins didn’t offer much in the way of perimeter quick hitters in 2022; perhaps the most notable hit being the opening touchdown against Baltimore in Week 2. 2023 was a different story. The Dolphins weaponized both the athleticism of their original starters on the line (read: Williams, Hunt, Austin Jackson & Isaiah Wynn most notably) and the explosiveness of their star players to manufacture pressure beaters and run after catch opportunities with an escort out front.

This only works, however, with dynamic athletes on the line of scrimmage who can delay release and get outside the numbers to serve as said escort.

Go ahead and mark that one down as a “hit” for Brewer (#55) and his center tape from 2023:

The acceleration here is astounding; even if the escort offers no one to hit in the open field. This glimpse into Brewer’s range as a blocker is critical for Miami’s continued success on perimeter screens; especially when it is paired together with connectivity to defenders in space. A separate play from Tennessee’s same contest against the Seattle Seahawks (2023) showcases that in action.

Blocking in space, particularly in the 2023 iteration of the Dolphins’ offense, extends beyond the screen game. Miami feasted on explosive runs to the perimeter in 2023 thanks in large part to the speed of their ball carriers out of the backfield. But speed out of the mesh point or out of a toss can only take you so far without a little help from your friends. In the way of Miami, two separate groups chipped in heavily in the instances in which Miami ripped off big runs:

• The skill players: Miami ran crack toss as a high rate, an outside toss design that charges a wide receiver or a tight end to crack down on the end man on the line of scrimmage to help seal the edge for the back. When Miami got humming in the toss action, it was usually thanks to an effort from Tyreek Hill, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft or Jaylen Waddle.

• The interior OL: The other group of defenders who can chase down an outside run are the second level defenders overtop of the ball. When Miami got big plays outside, an uncovered OL usually got through the traffic up front and was able to cut off pursuit from a linebacker to ensure they couldn’t scrape and pursue the back from the backside.

Also against Seattle, Brewer illustrates impressive an impressive “through traffic” fit against veteran LB Bobby Wagner.

TE Kevin Rader (#86) misses the fit on LB Devin Bush, preventing this Derrick Henry run for going for a bigger gain; but let’s still appreciate Brewer’s individual execution of assignment here. On this zone run, Brewer must first provide a “kickstand” and help his left guard against the 1T aligned over Brewer’s backside shoulder. Quick through the hole, Brewer properly helps secure the A-gap defender before climbing through traffic (and a slant from the play-side tackle to squeeze the other A-gap) to work to space and fit on Wagner.

The fluidity in space and ability to secure hands are enough to force Wagner out of the picture of the run fit and illustrate the kind of first level quickness and second level blocking Brewer needs to shine in Miami.

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Pass Protection

The athleticism of Brewer is an obvious strength that makes him an attractive scheme fit for Miami. But what kind of ceiling is there to tap into as a complete player? The question many Dolphins fans had in regard to Brewer’s profile upon the news of his impending signing lied with his ability in pass protection.

Pro Football Focus credited Brewer with significant numbers in pressures allowed (34) and sacks conceded (6) in 2023. That’s certainly a storyline to watch. But between a completely incoherent offensive line unit in Tennessee last season and a group of quarterbacks that struggled with quick trigger decisions? There was plenty of variables that compounded one another for a Titans offense that took 64 total sacks last season.

There were a number of promising reps that indicate Brewer may be coming into his own as a center pass protector, as well. Consider these two reps against the Dolphins on Monday Night Football last December:

This set against Christian Wilkins is really well done. Stepping right, Brewer is vigilant with his left hand to ensure he’s capturing Wilkins’ momentum before there’s an opportunity to cross Brewer’s face — where his left guard is occupied stepping left to challenge Zach Sieler in the opposite B-gap. Once Brewer’s left hand captures Wilkins’ frame, Brewer closes the space between the two in order to secure his right hand and set the hook on the block. Light feet, good hinges and pad level allow Brewer to sit down on Wilkins’ power once the two are engaged and Brewer does a nice job of helping himself with his base; he doesn’t kill his feet or allow himself to narrow his base. Either error would allow Wilkins to turn this block on a single pivot point (most likely Brewer’s hips) and turn a tight corner to the quarterback.

The second pass protection clip against Miami features a stunt exchange designed to attack the center:

Miami’s overload front creates a three-man slide to the three man surface. Brewer squeezes on Christian Wilkins but does well to leverage the frame of his guard in the process, squeezing the gap and allowing for a feel of the changing pressure in the front. Good eyes and communication allow him to anticipate Sieler looping back to the opposite A-gap, where an undisciplined center would be late to pass off Wilkins.

Instead, Brewer is able to reopen his hips, utilizes his left hand to press Wilkins into his help and then reset his frame in front of Sieler to prevent a free-running defender to the quarterback. Leverage once again allows him to anchor and prevent a collapsing pocket.

When you expand the focus beyond 2023, it does help paint the picture of growth potential for Brewer at the center position. Despite coming into the league as a sub-300 pound lineman, he’d taken just 136 snaps at the center position as an NFL center prior to 2023. As a college talent, Brewer was never allowed to settle into a singular position at Texas State either.

• 2016: 7 starts at guard, 5 starts at center

• 2017: 5 starts at center, 5 starts and right guard, 2 starts at left tackle

• 2018: 6 starts at center, 6 starts at left tackle

• 2019: 12 starts at right tackle

Brewer logged more starts as a center in 2023 than he did his previous 7 seasons of competitive play combined. Is this the start of stability of role for Brewer as a player? If it is, one would be well within their rights to think that more a consistent performance in protection should be on the way.

I’m certainly not going to sit here and tell you that Brewer can’t protect — not with feet like this. That’s against a $110M defensive tackle, after all!

One consistent on Brewer’s tape in protection that is notable: He’s best when he can quickly get hands on defenders. In instances where Brewer was charged with catching power conversions from rushers with a runway, his stature and lack of raw power is illustrated. Miami’s scheme should help protect him in some regard to reduce the “time under tension” but if Miami is going to see the best out of Brewer, they ought to be mindful of how they coach him to catch speed to power or how they implement him in space with some of their more exotic play pass protections. Some of those style of protection reps in Tennessee illustrated that concern when Brewer had to play passive and catch rushers.

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Point Of Attack Skills

Another central question for Dolphins fans around Brewer’s game was if he had the ability to reset the line of scrimmage. It’s a fair question given his stature and weight. And at guard, where he’d be tested with more similar athletes, I think it would be a legitimate question. Cover your eyes, Jackson Powers-Johnson truthers, but I think Brewer’s signing should come with the intent of center-exclusivity.

Because that’s where you get reps like this:

And this:

And this:

…I could do this all day. The leverage, pad level and agility create high-strain reps for defenders and your average A-gap defenders doesn’t necessarily have the dynamic athleticism to counter. The foot speed and activity allow him to string out horizontal landmarks or subsequently reestablish angles in close quarters. And when Brewer is afforded the opportunity to work double-teams, his ability to disengage and fit the second half of the assignment allows for effective run between the tackle opportunities.

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HE’S GOT THAT DOG IN HIM

No need to check your x-rays, I already got the results. And I can confirm that Brewer does indeed have that dog in him. And it shows up in the perimeter screen game.

And it shows up in pass protection.

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This is a player who has a chance to become the Dolphins’ most impactful free agent signing in time. When we look back and reflect on Brewer’s signing, odds feel strong that many will quickly come to appreciate his physical abilities as a tailor made fit for Miami. And in a timing based offense, where the ball is usually out a half-second faster than it was in Tennessee, you can be rest assured that the focus is going to be less about his pressures conceded and more on the translation of all this dynamic athleticism into an offense that uses that ability as an engine for the performance of the play up front.

What he’s surrounded with will matter. But if Brewer gets consistent availability around him to help his assimilation into Mike McDaniel’s scheme? Look out. He may end up being a longer-term lateral transition from the incumbent Miami lost to Brewer’s Titans in December in Connor Williams.