Aaron Brewer is back in the fold for the Titans. Given a second-round restricted free agent tender in March, the 2022 Tennessee guard starter signed it Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Titans had given Brewer and defensive tackle Teair Tart second-round tenders.
The veteran blocker had until April 21 to sign an offer sheet with another team or sign his tender; the Titans could have retained Brewer for 120% of his 2022 salary had he not done so. Tart, in turn, should be expected to follow suit soon.
While RFA offer sheets are not too common, the Bears gave Ryan Bates one last year. The Bills matched it. However, the Titans tendered Brewer at the second-round level likely squashed any offer-sheet momentum. Not only does the Round 2 tender lock him into $4.3MM this season, an unmatched offer sheet would have required the signing team to send the Titans its second-round pick.
That would be a steep price for a guard who has one season of full-time starter experience. But the Titans, as they retool up front, look set to turn to Brewer once again. Signing the tender locks Brewer into his biggest payday yet. He played for the league minimum from 2020-22, coming into the NFL as a UDFA.
Brewer, 25, has experience at both guard and center. The Titans used him as their full-time left guard in 2022, making Rodger Saffold a cap casualty. Brewer started 17 games, which stood out on a Titans O-line flooded with backups by season’s end. Tennessee has since lost four-year right guard starter Nate Davis. Brewer and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere will be positioned as the only two starting O-linemen returning for the team.
The Titans have added tackle Andre Dillard and guard Daniel Brunskill in free agency, and with Brewer having center experience as well, he could be an option there as well. Prior to letting Davis join the Bears in free agency, the Titans cut longtime center Ben Jones and left tackle Taylor Lewan. While Dillard is ticketed to replace Lewan, the Titans have not signed a veteran center. The team will likely look to address its interior O-line in the draft at some point, but Brewer and Brunskill’s positional flexibility give the team options.