Sam Brenner claimed off waivers by Broncos

The Miami Dolphins have lost center Sam Brenner to the Denver Broncos, losing their backup center after having repeatedly waived and re-signed the 20134 undrafted free agent. The Dolphins waived Brenner on Tuesday in order to make roster space for the signing of linebacker James-Michael Johnson.

As a rookie, Brenner started the year on the Dolphins' practice squad, but eventually was promoted to the active roster when the team lost offensive lineman Will Yeatman to a torn ACL. This year, Brenner has been the primary backup to Mike Pouncey at center, though he has not always been active on game day. The team has bounced Brenner between the practice squad, the waiver wire, and the active roster throughout the season, including two weeks ago, when they waived Brenner to make roster space for rookie running back Jay Ajayi, making the move on a Saturday, then re-signing Brenner on Monday. This time, however, they lost out as the Broncos made the roster claim.

In three seasons with Miami, Brenner has 10 appearances with four starts. He is primarily seen as a depth option at center, but was also thought to be developing well.

"It's tough," Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey told the Palm Beach Post's Andrew Abramson on Tuesday, speaking of the repeated roster moves involving Brenner. "It's just how the league works sometimes. I don't feel like it's fair all the time because he's definitely a guy deserving of a spot on this football team.

"We really enjoy having him inside of our offensive line room," Pouncey continued. "He's been a valuable piece to our offensive line unit for the past few years. It sucks, man, especially when you're friends with a guy. To see guys get done that way, it's tough. I know he understands it and so do we."

Brenner now joins the AFC West-leading Broncos.