Daniel Brunskill Bio
Daniel Zachary Brunskill is an American professional football center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 ft 5 in and listed at 300 lb, he plays on the interior offensive line and has appeared in 108 NFL games with 71 starts through the 2025 season. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and entered the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons. Across his career, Brunskill has also suited up for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Tennessee Titans.
Early Life and Background
Daniel Zachary Brunskill was born on January 27, 1994, in San Diego, California, in the United States. He grew up in the San Diego area and attended Valley Center High School in Valley Center, California. At Valley Center, he was listed as a tight end during his prep career and worked under head coach Rob Gilster, where his play along the line earned him an all-league selection in the lineman category. That early recognition helped establish his profile as a physical, technically sound player along the offensive front.
Path to American Football
After completing his high school career, Brunskill continued his development at San Diego State University, where he played for the San Diego State Aztecs from 2012 through 2016. He spent his college years working his way up the depth chart and refining the technique that would eventually allow him to play multiple positions across the offensive line. Following his senior season, he declared for the 2017 NFL Draft but went undrafted, setting up a long-shot entry into professional football. His size, versatility, and the polish he gained in the San Diego State program helped him earn a contract opportunity as an undrafted free agent.
Daniel Brunskill Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Brunskill signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2017, beginning his professional career. He was waived by the Falcons on September 2, 2017, but was signed to the team’s practice squad the very next day, allowing him to continue his development within the organization. On January 15, 2018, he signed a reserve/future contract with Atlanta, signaling the team’s continued confidence in his upside. The following preseason, on September 1, 2018, he was again waived and promptly brought back to the practice squad, keeping him within the Falcons’ system as he honed his craft.
San Diego Fleet and 49ers Breakthrough (2019–2022)
In January 2019, Brunskill joined the San Diego Fleet of the newly formed Alliance of American Football, giving him a stage to play in his hometown market. On April 11, 2019, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where his career truly began to take shape. During the 2019 season, he played 14 regular season games with seven starts split between right tackle and right guard, and he added three playoff appearances. That postseason run carried him to Super Bowl LIV, where the 49ers fell 31–20 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
On March 20, 2020, the 49ers re-signed Brunskill to a one-year contract, and he responded by starting all 16 games of the 2020 season while moving between positions on the offensive line. In 2021, San Francisco placed a one-year exclusive-rights free agent tender on him in March, and he signed the deal in April before locking down the starting right guard role. He started all 17 regular season games that year and played every offensive snap, including the playoffs. In March 2022, the 49ers placed a restricted free agent tender on him, which he signed roughly a month later. During the 2022 season, he appeared in 14 games with two starts, playing 58 percent of the offensive snaps while listed at both guard and center.
Tennessee Titans Era (2023–2024)
On March 19, 2023, Brunskill signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, marking his first multi-year deal as a proven NFL starter. He was named the Titans’ starting right guard for the 2023 season and went on to start 14 games, providing stability on the right side of the line. In 2024, he continued with Tennessee as a rotational lineman, contributing at multiple positions. After Week 8 of that season, his role expanded significantly when recently signed center Lloyd Cushenberry suffered a season-ending injury, and Brunskill stepped in as the Titans’ primary center for the remainder of the year.
Miami Dolphins Era (2025–Present)
On July 22, 2025, Brunskill signed with the Miami Dolphins, joining a new organization as an experienced interior offensive lineman. The move positioned him to compete for a role on a Dolphins offensive line looking for veteran depth and versatility at guard and center. Coming off his season of full-time center work in Tennessee, he arrived in Miami with a refreshed résumé that included starts at right tackle, both guard spots, and center. His signing gave Miami a flexible veteran who could fill in across the interior while contributing in the meeting room and on game day.
Driving Style and Strengths
Brunskill’s profile is built on positional versatility, allowing him to line up at right tackle, both guard spots, and center across his NFL tenure. His 6 ft 5 in frame and 300 lb build give him the size to anchor against power rushers, while his college and early pro background as a tight end shows up in his mobility and ability to reach blocks on the perimeter. Coaches have leaned on his football IQ to handle communication duties up front, particularly after he took over center responsibilities in Tennessee.
Notable Events and Milestones
The headline moment of Brunskill’s career came in the 2019 postseason, when he helped the San Francisco 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs. He has also posted several full-season durability marks, including starting all 16 games in 2020 and all 17 regular season games in 2021, the latter without missing an offensive snap. Reaching 108 career games played and 71 starts through the 2025 season underscores his longevity as an undrafted free agent who has outlasted many draft picks taken in his class.
Daniel Brunskill Career Wins
Daniel Zachary Brunskill’s career is best measured by his durability, his starting opportunities, and the team success he has contributed to, rather than by a long list of individual trophies. An undrafted free agent in 2017, he has carved out a multi-team NFL career spanning the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, and Miami Dolphins, with a brief stop in the Alliance of American Football. His most significant team achievement to date is reaching Super Bowl LIV with the 49ers, and he has racked up steady starting totals across multiple seasons in the league.
NFL Highlights
Through the 2025 season, Brunskill had played 108 NFL games with 71 starts, with the bulk of that production coming during his four seasons in San Francisco. He made 14 regular season appearances with seven starts in 2019, started all 16 games in 2020, started all 17 regular season games in 2021, and appeared in 14 games with two starts in 2022. With the Tennessee Titans, he started 14 games at right guard in 2023 before shifting to center late in 2024, and he signed with the Miami Dolphins in July 2025.
Other Performances
Brunskill’s pre-49ers pro experience included time on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in 2017 and 2018, where he developed without regular season game action. In January 2019, he joined the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football, adding a brief stint of in-game reps in his hometown market before transitioning to San Francisco. Those developmental years helped lay the foundation for the run of starting opportunities that followed.
Daniel Brunskill Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Daniel Zachary Brunskill’s immediate family is limited, with no widely verified details about his parents or siblings available. His upbringing in the San Diego area and his time at Valley Center High School suggest a Southern California-rooted background. Without confirmed public figures for his parents, this section remains limited to his own biography.
Personal Life
Brunskill has kept much of his personal life private, and verified public information about a spouse or children is not available. He is a United States national, born in San Diego, California, and his professional commitments have taken him through Atlanta, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nashville, and now Miami. He maintains an Instagram presence under the handle listed on his official profiles, where fans can follow updates from his career.
2025 Season Performance
Daniel Zachary Brunskill’s 2025 campaign began with a notable team change, as he signed with the Miami Dolphins on July 22, 2025, after spending 2023 and 2024 with the Tennessee Titans. He entered Dolphins training camp as a versatile veteran interior lineman capable of playing guard or center, a flexibility sharpened by his late-2024 stint as Tennessee’s primary center. Through the 2025 season, his career totals had reached 108 games played and 71 games started, underscoring his continued role as a dependable depth piece and spot starter. The outlook in Miami centers on his ability to provide experienced support on an offensive line that values both position flexibility and steady pass protection. With his contract structure running through 2027, Brunskill’s 2025 work is also a foundation for the next phase of his career in South Florida.