\u201cThey know where they stand,\u201d Sullivan said in the days ahead of the NFL Draft. \u201cWe\u2019ve had conversations. They know how important they are to this team and where we are with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Brooks, the Dolphins have the heart and soul of their defense. The former Texas Tech standout came to Miami ahead of the 2024 season after four years with the Seattle Seahawks. Brooks specifically spent two seasons with Seahawks legend Bobby Wagner \u2013 vocal leader, prolific tackler, etc. \u2013 and happened to have a similar effect on the Dolphins\u2019 defense in 2025.<\/p>\n
Case in point: after a season in which he led the league in tackles en route to his first All-Pro bid, Brooks still participated in mandatory minicamp<\/a> despite the lack of an extension.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to get better as a player so that\u2019s why I show up,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cObviously, I never want to send the wrong message to the team or to my teammates. I play with these guys. Go to battle with them. I want them to know that I\u2019m here no matter what [and that I\u2019m] playing the game for the right reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Aaron Brewer. At 6-1 inch and 295 pounds, the center likely wasn\u2019t supposed to be here. He was undersized. He didn\u2019t go to a name brand school. And he went undrafted.<\/p>\n But as the adage goes, hard works beats talent. So Brewer put his head down and against all odds, fashioned himself into one of the best centers in the league, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2025.<\/p>\n Brewer too was a mainstay at minicamp<\/a> despite his looming contract situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI know one way to go about things and that\u2019s working and keeping my head down,\u201d Brewer said Tuesday afternoon. \u201cThat\u2019s what I come out here and do every day. Lead the guys. I hope to be here for the long run, so I\u2019m trying to pour everything in me to everyone around me to make us the best team we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of Brewer\u2019s success, however, can be attributed to Achane. Check any of the star running back\u2019s long runs and odds are Brewer is either at the point of attack or the lead blocker. It\u2019s a chicken or the egg situation, one in which it\u2019s unclear who bears responsibility.<\/p>\n The bottom line: the tandem works.<\/p>\n \u201cAchane is a very, very important piece of what we want to do moving forward,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cHe\u2019s a building block for us. It is a priority for us to get a deal done for him in the coming weeks, months.\u201d<\/p>\n The former third-round pick was clearly the driving force for the offense in 2025. Not only did he lead the team in receptions, his 1,838 yards from scrimmage<\/a> was second in franchise history to only running back Rickey Williams\u2019 legendary 2002 season. Achane also posted a league-high 5.7 yards per carry and made the Pro Bowl as a result.<\/p>\n A diminutive 5-9 inches, Achane doesn\u2019t look like an imposing physical presence similar to Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley. Catch him between the sidelines, however, and it\u2019s a different story.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dynamic,\u201d coach Jeff Hafley said. \u201cThere are plays that you\u2019re not even blocked right for, and he gets 6 or 7 yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he\u2019s so hard to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n With the trio locked up for the foreseeable future, the Dolphins now have their building blocks for the future. Hopefully this rookie class can pan out and Miami will be one step closer to the playoff win that has alluded them for more than a quarter of a century.<\/p>\n
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