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Aaron Brewer did not win the Protector of the Year award
Despite a disappointing 7-10 season, the Miami Dolphins had a few players who stood out and delivered performances worthy of recognition. In 2024, the Dolphins had a better record as they finished 8-9, but only one of their players ended up being recognized as one of the top 100 most valuable players by ESPN’s Seth Walder. Miami’s lone inclusion on that list was defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who left in free agency following the season.
In 2025, after losing one more game than in 2024, the Dolphins had four members on the list. One of them was center Aaron Brewer, who was also selected as a second-team All-Pro. Regarding Brewer, Walder wrote, “Brewer had a great season, and his blocking helped the running game be the best part of the Dolphins’ season. He was good to the point that he almost beat out Creed Humphrey for first-team All-Pro honors at center (Brewer ended up on the second team). But the feedback I got from a few folks in the league wasn’t quite as strong — they felt he had a good season but wasn’t on Humphrey’s level.”
NFL Announces Protector of The Year
Brewer’s strong season was recognized as he was nominated for the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year award. However, Brewer received some bad news during the NFL Honors ceremony as he did not win the award. Instead, it went to Chicago Bears first-team All-Pro guard Joe Thuney.
Unlike other awards, this was not voted on by the AP. The NFL announced that “The winner was determined by an elite selection committee of NFL Legends: two-time Pro Bowler and position-specific training expert LeCharles Bentley, six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce, three-time Pro Bowler Shaun O’Hara, 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and Super Bowl LVI champion Andrew Whitworth, and Pro Football Hall of Famers Orlando Pace and Will Shields.”
Aaron Brewer had a solid case for the award as he finished the year with a 91.5 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which was the best among centers in the NFL. As an overall lineman, Brewer finished with an 87.4 grade. Meanwhile, the winner, Joe Thuney, finished with a 79.4 overall grade from PFF.
Miami Dolphins’ Aaron Brewer’s Strong Season
Brewer was one of the primary reasons the Dolphins managed a second-half turnaround. They finished the year by winning six out of their last nine games by relying on their rushing attack. Brewer joined the Dolphins prior to the 2024 season after spending four seasons with the Titans. He signed a three-year deal in Miami, and has been one of the premier centers in the NFL since.
The Dolphins’ center thrived in Mike McDaniel’s scheme, which allowed him to play in space and utilize his athleticism. Fortunately for Brewer, Miami is planning to run a similar scheme with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after McDaniel’s dismissal. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan also praised the Dolphins’ center, saying, “Brewer’s ability to play out in space, snap, step, reach, get to the second level, and he plays, quite frankly, much bigger than his listed size.”
He was one of the players Sullivan mentioned when the topic of building blocks came up. With only one year remaining on his current contract, a contract extension should not be out of the realm of possibility.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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