Honestly, the NFL moves so fast that if you blinked in late 2025, you might have missed one of the weirdest quarterback shifts in South Beach history. Everyone expected Tua Tagovailoa to be the guy forever. Then, reality hit. Hard. Now we're sitting in early 2026, and the name on everyone’s lips isn't some high-priced superstar or a top-five draft pick. It's Quinn Ewers, the guy Miami grabbed in the seventh round of the 2025 draft.
Drafted 231st overall. Basically an afterthought.
But then Week 16 happened. Mike McDaniel—before he was let go in that January house-cleaning—did the unthinkable and benched Tua for the rookie. People called it a desperation move. Maybe it was. But when Ewers stepped onto the field against the Bengals and later the Bucs, something changed. The Miami Dolphins Quinn Ewers era didn't start with a bang, but it started with enough of a spark to make the front office rethink the next five years.
The Seventh-Round Gamble That Actually Paid Off
Most seventh-rounders are lucky to make the practice squad. They’re usually just "camp arms" meant to give the starters a breather. Ewers was different because he had the pedigree—a former five-star recruit who once looked like the next big thing at Texas. His draft stock cratered due to injury concerns and some inconsistent tape, which is why Chris Grier was able to snag him so late.
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He’s currently signed through 2028 on a deal that costs the Dolphins about $1 million against the cap in 2026. Compare that to the astronomical dead money hit they’re facing if they cut Tua ($67.4 million if it’s a post-June 1 designation), and you see why Ewers is so attractive. He’s cheap. He’s young. And surprisingly, he didn't look terrified in the pocket.
During his three-game audition at the end of the '25 season, he went 1-2. Not a Hall of Fame start. But he completed 55 of 83 passes for 622 yards. That’s a 66% completion rate from a kid who was supposed to be "developmental." He threw three touchdowns and three picks. It was raw, it was messy, but it was convicted. McDaniel even said at the time that the team needed "convicted quarterback play," and Ewers gave them that.
Why the Scouting Reports Were Kinda Right (and Kinda Wrong)
Before he was a Dolphin, the knocks on Ewers were all about his footwork and "sloppy" mechanics.
If you watch the Week 17 tape against Tampa Bay, you can see it.
Sometimes his feet are all over the place.
He’ll throw off his back foot for no reason.
But then he’ll uncork a sidearm throw through a window the size of a mailbox, and you remember why he was a top recruit. His ability to change arm angles is legit. In the McDaniel-style RPO (Run-Pass Option) system, that quick release is everything. Tua was great at it, but he lacked the "off-platform" creativity. Ewers actually looked more comfortable than Tua when things broke down. He’s not a blazer, but he can scoot enough to keep a play alive.
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The 2026 Quarterback Room is a Mess
Right now, the Dolphins are in a weird limbo. They fired McDaniel and the GM, meaning the new leadership—headed by new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan—has to decide if they’re riding with the kid or starting over.
There are rumors flying everywhere.
Some say a trade for Mac Jones is coming.
Others think the Eagles might ship Tanner McKee to Miami.
Then you have the draft gurus screaming that Miami must take Ty Simpson at pick 11.
But here is the thing: Miami is broke. Well, cap-broke. Between Tua's contract and Tyreek Hill’s massive $54 million non-guaranteed number for 2026, there isn't much room to play. Keeping Ewers as at least a "bridge" or a competitor makes too much sense. He knows the building. He has the arm talent. And let’s be real, his $1 million cap hit is a godsend for a team trying to rebuild a secondary that was essentially a revolving door last year.
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What Ewers Showed in the Final Weeks
- Decisiveness: Unlike the hesitant play we saw in mid-November, Ewers got the ball out fast.
- Verticality: He wasn't afraid to test the deep third, even if the accuracy was hit-or-miss.
- Resilience: After throwing a pick-six against the Bucs, he came right back and led a touchdown drive.
What Real Fans Should Expect Next
The "Ewers is the savior" talk is probably premature. He’s a 1-2 starter with a penchant for turnovers. However, the narrative that he's just a backup is also probably wrong. You don’t bench a $200 million quarterback for a seventh-rounder unless you see something special in practice.
The jury is still out on whether he can be a "franchise" guy. He needs to fix the "heel click" at the top of his drops. He needs to stop checking down prematurely when he has a clean pocket. But those are coachable things. What isn't coachable is the "live arm" he showed when layering a ball over a linebacker in Week 16.
Miami is at a crossroads. They can sell the farm to move up for a new rookie, or they can put some pieces around Ewers—maybe a real offensive line for once—and see if that five-star talent finally blossoms in the pros.
Actionable Insights for Dolphins Fans:
- Watch the Preseason: The 2026 preseason will be the most important one in years. If Ewers is the "incumbent," he’ll be fighting off whatever veteran bridge they bring in (like a Mac Jones or even a Cam Miller).
- Monitor the Post-June 1 Cuts: If the Dolphins wait until June to officially move on from Tua, it tells you they are committed to the cap savings and likely committed to a low-cost QB room led by Ewers.
- Check the New Coaching Hire: If the new coach comes from a system that prizes "out-of-structure" play, Ewers has a much better chance than he would in a rigid, timing-only offense.
The Miami Dolphins Quinn Ewers experiment is far from over. It might be the only thing keeping the team afloat while they navigate the messiest cap situation in the league. He’s the ultimate "low risk, high reward" player. If he fails, you're picking top five in 2027. If he succeeds, you just found a starting QB for the price of a backup punter. At this point, what do the Dolphins have to lose?