Lions are one aggressive move away from shaking up the NFC playoff race

The Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins couldn't be on further ends of the spectrum headed into the 2025 season. The Lions are projected to be a powerhouse once again in the NFC and the NFC North, with legitimate Super Bowl goals worth dreaming about. The Dolphins are one poor start to the year away from watching the front office likely blow up their current staff and core.

Miami has to be wondering which of their premium players they could actually deal for a decent haul as we get ready to open up the year. One player that could be a legitimate game changer for the Lions if they find that their Frank Ragnow replacement isn't hitting the right mark is center Aaron Brewer.

The sixth year center is headed into his second year with Miami, and he's signed with the team through 2027 on a three year, $21 million dollar deal. If traded, the Lions would need to be okay with taking on this deal while also worrying about extensions for Jameson Williams, Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, and others.

However, if we're talking non-flashy moves that could warrant some seriously great results on the offensive side of the ball, trading for someone like Brewer could firmly swing momentum back in the favor of Detroit and away from the suddenly white-hot Green Bay Packers.

Lions could bring O-line back to life with Brewer trade

Detroit has the luxury of some higher quality draft picks still on their side, which is likely what the Dolphins would be looking for considering this could only happen if they've decided to fully blow up the team ahead of 2026. As of now, the Lions own their first, second, fourth, and fifth rounders in the 2026 draft. They also own all of their picks in the 2027 draft.

Here's what PFF 's Mason Cameron had to say about Brewer back in the offseason when ranking the league's centers (he came in 7th):

"Brewer’s move to Miami this past season paved the way for his best season in the NFL. He posted a career-best 74.1 PFF overall grade on a full workload — a top-eight mark at the position. Improvements as a pass protector helped round out his game, as he finished as one of just two qualifying centers to post a 70.0-plus PFF grade as a run blocker and a pass protector. The only other player to hit the mark was Creed Humphrey."

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Again, financials are the likely only complication surrounding this deal, or any that involves a player still owed a good chunk of money in 2026 and 2027. With so many key extensions on deck, it's hard to imagine that the team doesn't continue to just solve their issues on the margins with deals like that with Graham Glasgow, their current starting center.

And, with plans to eventually swap Glasgow out for Tate Ratledge at the position, would they even need to make a swing for someone as good as Brewer?

It just seems like a smart move to make if you're Detroit and looking for a sure-thing to shore up an O-line facing some new found problems in Micah Parsons within your division.