Dolphins free agent center Connor Williams is focusing on other teams as he aims to be ready for the start of the season after a serious knee injury last December against Tennessee.
Asked by WSVN-7’s Josh Moser about Williams’ chances of returning to the Dolphins, agent Drew Rosenhaus said late Sunday night: “On behalf of Connor, I’m sure he’d be open to it. I wouldn’t think that it’s likely he would return here with the Dolphins.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule anything out, but the Dolphins did sign a fine center in Aaron Brewer from the Tennessee Titans and made a big investment. I think Connor, wherever he signs, it will be as a center.”
Brewer signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Dolphins in March, with $13 million guaranteed.
Brewer and Williams have both played guard earlier in their careers, but the Dolphins signed Brewer to play center and Williams prefers to remain at center after playing that position for two seasons with the Dolphins.
Williams sustained a torn ACL against Tennessee, and he initially wasn’t sure if he would play in 2024. Williams did not want to discuss a contract with teams early in free agency because of the uncertainty of how long he would be sidelined.
“Connor has had a remarkable recovery, nothing short of miraculous, really looking good for the start of the season,” Rosenhaus said on his weekly TV segment.
“There are a lot of teams interested in him. I’m just delighted for Connor. I did not anticipate him going to training camp with a team and felt like it might be something during the season before he played. But he’s done an awesome job. We are going to see Connor Williams in someone’s training camp.”
Williams was an elite run blocker and pass blocker before sustaining the knee injury in the Monday night loss to the Titans.
Pro Football Focus rated Williams the league’s best run blocking center and the second best center overall, behind Detroit’s Frank Ragnow. What’s more, Williams allowed only one sack and just six pressures in 280 pass blocking chances.
As perspective, no center who had anything close to as many pass blocking snaps as Williams allowed as few pressures; the next closest was Cleveland’s Nick Harris, who permitted three pressures in 169 pass blocking snaps.
In PFF’s evaluations, Brewer was rated the 11th best center overall among 36 qualifiers last season; PFF rated Brewer seventh as a run blocker; he’s mobile and fits Miami’s zone blocking scheme.
But Brewer permitted six sacks (second most among centers) and 34 pressures (third most) in 622 pass blocking snaps, per PFF. Undrafted out of Texas State in 2020, he was the Titans’ starting center the past two seasons.