Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is looking to take a page from his mentor, Kyle Shanahan, by handing the keys to the offense to a seventh-round rookie quarterback.
Two days after losing their eighth game of the season, the Dolphins decided to bench their $53 million quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Ewers was the final quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft and will make his first career start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has made one regular-season appearance this season, completing five of eight passes in relief of Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter of a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Coming out of Texas, where he started 36 games, Ewers had clearly identifiable NFL traits. A five-star recruit out of Carroll Senior High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, he was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2022 on the 247 Sports Composite ratings and became just the sixth player ever to receive a perfect 1.0000 recruiting rating. Ewers initially committed to Texas in 2020, but eventually signed with Ohio State, skipping his senior year of high school to enroll early.
After one season as a backup with the Buckeyes, he transferred back home to Texas, where he was named the starter in 2022. Across three seasons with the Longhorns, Ewers completed 737 career passes for 9,128 yards and was responsible for 76 total touchdowns. Ewers led the Longhorns to two appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals and was named MVP of the Big 12 Championship Game in 2023.
He held onto the Longhorns’ starting job in 2024 despite the arrival of prized freshman Arch Manning. In Ewers’ final collegiate game, he completed 23 of 39 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 loss to Ohio State.
“First of all, Quinn Ewers decided to come to the University of Texas when we were a 5-11 football team. We owe a ton to Quinn,” Sarkisian said on “Josh Pate’s Football Show” after the season. “Because if Quinn Ewers doesn’t come, I don’t know if the next five guys are coming. And if those next five guys don’t come, I don’t know if the next 10 guys are coming.”
Despite having another season of collegiate eligibility, which could have reportedly earned him $8 million if he decided to transfer, Ewers entered the 2025 NFL Draft. He was once projected as a top-40 pick, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler began to caution against Ewers’ draft potential once the evaluation cycle started. In his final prospect rankings in “The Beast: 2025 NFL Draft Guide,” Brugler rated Ewers as the sixth-best quarterback in the class and as a projected third-round pick.
But Ewers’ weaknesses — durability questions after he missed time each season, limited athleticism and turnover concerns — damaged his draft stock and caused Ewers to drop even further. The Dolphins, despite having Tagovailoa and a recently signed Zach Wilson in their quarterback room, selected Ewers with the No. 231 pick. Ewers played well in training camp, impressing his fellow quarterbacks.
“I think Quinn’s been balling,” Tagovailoa told the Palm Beach Post in July. “I think he’s been buying into what he’s been told in the quarterback room.”
Now, nearing the end of a disastrous season for Miami and Tagovailoa, Ewers will become the sixth NFL starting rookie quarterback who was drafted in the seventh round since 2000, joining a list that includes Ben DiNucci, Ryan Fitzpatrick, John Navarre, Skylar Thompson and Brock Purdy.
The decision to start Ewers over Wilson suggests that Miami hopes the rookie can offer hints of promise before the franchise enters a critical offseason, just as the San Francisco 49ers and Shanahan found with Purdy in 2022.
Purdy, who was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, started five games to end the regular season that year. He went 5-0 and led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, becoming entrenched as San Francisco’s starting QB and excelling in four seasons with the Niners.
The Dolphins hope Ewers’ quick release and processing skills will make him a strong fit for McDaniel’s RPO-based offense. After the Bengals, the Dolphins will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots to close the season. The move feels like a last-ditch effort by Miami to salvage something from a spiraling season.
