Dolphins Offseason Moves Raise Questions from All-Pro Center

Miami traded away star receiver Jaylen Waddle, leading to doubts about the team's competitive direction.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 10:19pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented football field with players' forms broken into overlapping angular shapes in shades of aqua, orange, and white, conveying the uncertainty and disruption surrounding the Dolphins' offseason changes.The Dolphins' offseason roster shakeup leaves their All-Pro center questioning the team's competitive direction.Today in Miami

The Miami Dolphins have made several high-profile roster moves this offseason, including trading away former first-round pick Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Dolphins All-Pro center Aaron Brewer expressed shock and concern over the team's direction, questioning what they are doing from a competitive standpoint. Brewer hopes the changes will provide an extra motivational 'chip' for returning players, but acknowledged the difficulty in getting players to buy into a rebuilding program.

Why it matters

The Dolphins' offseason moves, including the Waddle trade and the release of star receiver Tyreek Hill, have significantly reshaped the team's roster. As an All-Pro player, Brewer's reaction highlights the potential challenges the team may face in getting veteran players to embrace a rebuilding effort, especially after losing key contributors that could have helped the team win games in the upcoming season.

The details

The Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle and a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a first-round pick, third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. The move cleared cap space but took away an elite target for new quarterback Malik Willis. During an appearance on Terron Armstead's podcast, Brewer expressed shock and concern over the Waddle trade, saying 'I'm just shocked. I'm shook. I'm like, what are we doing?' Brewer hopes the changes will provide an extra motivational 'chip' for returning players, but acknowledged the difficulty in getting players to buy into a rebuilding program, noting 'NFL players don't like losing, and the Dolphins lost a lot of key help that would help them win games this fall. That could cause some veterans to not be as motivated to play hard in the upcoming season.'

  • The Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle and a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in recent weeks.

The players

Aaron Brewer

The Miami Dolphins' All-Pro center who expressed shock and concern over the team's offseason roster moves.

Jon-Eric Sullivan

The new general manager of the Miami Dolphins who has overseen the team's offseason roster changes.

Jeff Hafley

The new head coach of the Miami Dolphins who is leading the team's rebuilding efforts.

Jaylen Waddle

The former first-round pick wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins who was traded to the Denver Broncos.

Malik Willis

The new quarterback for the Miami Dolphins after the team moved on from Tua Tagovailoa.

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What they’re saying

“My initial reaction is I'm just shocked. I'm shook. I'm like, what are we doing? But then at the same time, I'm happy for my brother. It's always a family perspective, like, yeah, I want to have the best team we can have, but I love when people go to a different position and I always wish the best for them. So, I hope he's fine.”

— Aaron Brewer, Dolphins All-Pro Center

“Then my next thought right after that, like, OK, what are we finna do? What are we doing in that wide receiver room? Who is the next man up? So, every time with something like that, I'm looking at the people we've still got. Because when you see something like that, you've got to put something on your shoulder. That's an extra chip. You see an opportunity.”

— Aaron Brewer, Dolphins All-Pro Center

What’s next

The Dolphins' new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley will need to work to get veteran players to buy into the team's rebuilding efforts after making several high-profile roster moves this offseason.

The takeaway

The Dolphins' offseason roster changes, including the trade of star receiver Jaylen Waddle, have raised concerns from veteran players like All-Pro center Aaron Brewer about the team's competitive direction. Getting players to embrace a rebuilding program after losing key contributors will be a major challenge for the new Dolphins leadership.