The Miami Dolphins' offense is most certainly going to thrive on their running game and Tua Tagovailoa's availability. If he goes down, the alternatives are not proving to be reliable options.
Rookie Quinn Ewers had an awful introduction to the NFL on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Zach Wilson wasn't much better, but it appeared as though he would be the odds-on favorite, if not the only choice to back up Tagovailoa.
Wilson isn't giving the Dolphins reasons to keep him in the No. 2 spot, however. His first joint practice against the Detroit Lions on Wednesday was worse than Ewers' play against the Bears.
Zach Wilson keeps the Dolphins' QB competition open with poor practice performance
Wilson practiced against the Lions' second-team defense during the 7-on-7 portions of the joint practice. He finished his rotation with an abysmal stat line, reportedly throwing two interceptions (and almost a third) while missing a couple of deep passes that were either overthrown or underthrown. Wilson hasn't been impressive.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Wilson now has six interceptions in camp this year and another five that defenders dropped. The Dolphins are hoping they can fix his problems with good coaching. So far, the results haven't been encouraging.
Miami gave Wilson a fully guaranteed one-year deal and is banking on his ability to lead the team should Tagovailoa get hurt. Ewers, a seventh-round pick, is fighting for a roster spot, or at the very least, a practice squad position. With Wilson not looking good in camp, Ewers has a chance to prove he deserves to be the second-team quarterback, but he, too, has a lot of work to do.
The Dolphins' backup spot has been a major point of contention among the fanbase, as the team has flippantly avoided adding quality players. In 2024, they had to rely on Tyler Huntley, who came off another team's practice squad and started a week later after both Tagovailoa and backup Skylar Thompson went down.
Wilson remains the frontrunner, but he is keeping the competition alive with a run of poor performances.