The Miami Dolphins are early in their 2026 training camp, but the differences between the 2025 version of the team and the one hitting the practice field each morning this summer are already obvious. New head coach Jeff Hafley envisions a physical team that brings intensity into everything they do, including how they practice. All-Pro center Aaron Brewer recognizes the changes and appreciates what this year’s Dolphins team is becoming.
“You want to make practice as hard as it can be, and that’s our goal, like going to practice this whole year, you want to be aggressive,” Brewer said on Thursday. “You want to be intense. Like you want it to be incomparable to the game. You want the game to be easy. And so when we’re out there, we want to compete. We want to push each other, push it all the way to the edge, as close to the fighting as we can. And yeah, that’s the energy this year.”
As for what Hafley is bringing in his first year as a head coach as compared to last year’s experience with Mike McDaniel, Brewer stated, “Yeah, you know, it’s two different coaching styles and so it’s definitely a different culture, and we just lean into whoever we bring into this building. Like they’re coming in as more aggression and so we lean into his identity and what he wants this team to be.”
While Miami will look to be more physical under Hafley and the team is expected to run the ball more this year, the offense as a whole may not look drastically different under Bobby Slowik, who served as the team’s senior passing game coordinator last year under McDaniel before taking over as offensive coordinator this year. “I’d say it’s pretty similar,” Brewer said. “You know, him and Mike were working like hand in hand, close together last year. And so they kind of got that same philosophy a little bit, but they all got their own little things that they’re different in and so it’s very similar.
That’s just real-life football. We’re not out here playing flag football.
— Aaron Brewer
One major difference between last year’s practices and what the team is doing this year is with the drills being run. Miami has gone away from 7-on-7 lineups on the practice field, preferring to use a full team 11-on-11 matchup, with Hafley wanting to get the offensive and defensive linemen involved in the repetitions. Brewer spoke about the change, saying, “That’s just real-life football. We’re not out here playing flag football. Like when you go to game day, it’s 11-on-11, not 7-on-7. So I feel like it’s more work. It translates from practice to the game, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
Agreeing to a contract extension
Brewer, entering his seventh year in the league and third with Miami, was a Second-Team All-Pro selection last year, his first time receiving individual recognition. The former undrafted free agent was identified by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan as one of the core pillars around whom the Dolphins would rebuild their roster, leading to an agreement on a three-year contract extension earlier this summer. “I’m thankful, man,” Brewer said of receiving the extension and being seen as a leader of the team. “It’s a blessing and I’m just grateful that he believed in me on that level. Like that’s the role I wanted to be in. That’s the role I own. And so for him to believe me, to be in that same role, like it’s an honor.”
That leadership was on display when Brewer signed his new contract as he brought other members of the offensive line to the team facility to celebrate with him. “Because in my position, I can’t do nothing alone,” he explained. “It was a collective effort and also, they’re young right now and just have them there to see the whole process and just keep them by my side, like they’re my brothers right now. Right now and forever on. So I just felt it was special to have them there with me.”
Leading the younger players
Brewer understands that he and right tackle Austin Jackson are the veterans of the offensive line group, as both players enter their seventh seasons. On the left side, tackle Patrick Paul is headed into his third campaign, while rookie Kadyn Proctor is expected to start at guard. Between Brewer and Jackson will be second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea, who shifts to tight right after rookie struggles on the left last year. Brewer sees an opportunity to help build the line’s confidence and production.
“KP [Proctor], he already, like he’s got a lot of good qualities already,” Brewer said of what he has seen from Miami’s first-round draft pick this year. “He’s big, he’s fast and he’s aggressive. As an offensive lineman, that’s what you want out of him. And so with him, I’m just trying to keep pushing him and just allow him to know like it’s more and just have him, like not competing with what he sees every day out here. Like it’s more to the league, it’s 32 teams and there’s plenty of great defensive linemen out there. So I want him to be prepared for when he’s going against the bottom of the bottle and the best of the best. I want him to be the best player he can be. I want him to be the No. 1 guard in the league. And so that’s my goal. That’s my attitude with him every day.”
Brewer has also wrapped his arms around Savaiinaea and helping him rebound this year. “Same thing. I said in the spring, [I] like him on the right side, he looked way more comfortable. I’ve been with him all offseason. We’ve been up here working out together. So I’ve been seeing like how he been coming to work, his intentionality towards everything he’s doing. And so I feel like it’s the same thing with him. Anybody playing along with me, anybody on this team, anybody on offense with me, I want them to be the best in the league. And so that’s what we’re trying to push. We preach. I’m preaching it every day to him and trying to push each other every day to do that.”
As for those offseason workouts, it was not limited to just Brewer and Savaiinaea, but the entire offensive line stayed in Miami and continued to work together. Brewer explained the mentality and decision-making for everyone coming together as a unit, “Like we understand Pat’s [Paul] going in year three, Jonah is going into year two, A.J. [Jackson], he’s year seven with me; so we’re trying to merge together. Like we want to be better, we want more. And so just sticking around, just growing that bond with each other. We’re working out every day together, pushing each other, just continuing to grow that connection with each other. So I definitely believe it was definitely intentional.”
Ain’t no such thing as perfect, but I’m chasing perfection.
— Aaron brewer
What does Brewer want to see from himself this year? He would like to turn that Second-Team All-Pro selection into a First-Team tag as he continue to improve his game. “To be better than I was last year,” he said. “There’s always room to growth. I wasn’t perfect. Ain’t no such thing as perfect, but I’m chasing perfection. And so that’s all I got to do. I try to be the No. 1 center in the league. We got to try to be the No. 1 rushing offense in the league. No. 1 passing offense. No. 1 offense as a whole. I’m trying to go first-team All-Pro. I want everybody else to go first-team All-Pro. Pro Bowl, Protector of the Year. Like those are the top of the top and so that’s what we’re striving for.”
Jackson’s importance to the line
The discussion returned to Jackson’s importance to the line. The 18th overall pick in 2020, Jackson has struggled with injuries throughout his career, including being limited to just 14 games played over the last two seasons. Brewer was asked about Jackson trying to shake the “injury-prone” label and what he has gone through in his career. Brewer replied, “Just staying on top of it. Just a bunch of [physical therapy] work, taking care of the body, trying different things to just stay healthy. You know what I’m saying? Like it’s so much different recovery things you can do out here, and so I see him just really pointing to himself, pointing to his body and trying to be the best version of him.
“He’s very important,” Brewer continued. “That’s our starting right tackle and everyone know, like when he’s out there, he can be an elite player. He’s a great run blocker and good pass pro. And so like that, it’s great building blocks to grow off of and so he’s very important to this offense and we need him out there.”
Brewer from undrafted to a core member of the Dolphins
Brewer is ready for the 2026 season, but he also realizes where he has come from. “It’s a blessing, man,” he answered when asked about his journey from an undrafted free agent signing with the Tennessee Titans in 2000 to being a foundational piece for the Dolphins as they rebuild the roster. “Like just coming from where I came from, always in my head personally, like probably not the outside world, but I knew just where I was going to end up. This was always part of the plan so I’m just thankful. I thank God that I made it here and I just stayed the course, stuck to the plan.”
Now that plan includes being named a First-Team All-Pro selection and getting the Miami offensive line to be the best in football. They are lofty goals, but Brewer seems like the man to reach them.