Insider reveals how Quinn Ewers earned Dolphins QB job over Tua Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins made waves on Wednesday when they benched veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of Quinn Ewers ahead of Week 16's matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

This major move by head coach Mike McDaniel underscores just how far Tua has fallen. Injuries and an alarming concussion history are an inevitable part of the narrative, but Tua just wasn't living up to the massive contract Miami rewarded him with, leading the NFL with 15 interceptions.

Hence, the pivot to Ewers. Skepticism is understandable when it comes to the former Texas Longhorns standout, given his inexperience and somewhat lackluster collegiate career.

But is it possible the Dolphins upgraded by going from the NFL's 2023 passing yards leader to a seventh-round rookie? Based on the latest buzz out of Miami, it's not outlandish to believe so.

Ian Rapoport reveals Quinn Ewers has blown away Miami Dolphins coaching staff after Tua Tagovailoa benching

The reason I say Ewers' time at Texas was "somewhat lackluster" is because he did underachieve relative to his status as one of the best high school QB recruits of all-time.

Ewers might've sabotaged his own development by graduating high school a year early, reclassifying, and making an uneventful one-year pit stop at Ohio State. Then again, he did have three seasons with the Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian, whose dynamic offensive system featured plenty of pro-style concepts in addition to a heavy reliance on RPOs.

Those principles sound precisely like what allowed Tua to flourish in McDaniel's offense. So maybe it's not the biggest surprise that Ewers has made a strong impression with the Dolphins despite his low draft status and eight career NFL pass attempts to date, as NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported:

"Mike McDaniel had said [...] 'everything was on the table' to get this offense functioning. [...] My understanding is, Quinn Ewers has really impressed behind the scenes, and has surely jumped out for this coaching staff as someone who'd make a significant difference on offense."

Not to say that McDaniel was the source of this leak, but he doesn't strike me at all as someone who'll project false confidence when it isn't there. In fact, McDaniel famously believed in Tua when nobody else did when he first arrived in Miami, and proceeded to elevate his QB to career-best form.

Ewers, for sure, has more natural arm strength than Tua, which opens up a vertical element of Miami's passing attack that Tua couldn't hope to emulate. The question is, can Ewers execute the rest of what the Dolphins ask of him while staying ahead of the chains and not turning the ball over?

All of a sudden, Ewers is on a trial run for the final few games to see if there's any reason for Miami to pin hopes for the future on him. No pressure, young man!

That's the thing, though. Ewers probably doesn't feel pressure. He's a seventh-round pick. He dealt with Texas fans screaming for Arch Manning all of last season, only to see Arch struggle in his first full season as a starter and return to school, despite being eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.

As long as Miami's ground game continues to thrive and Ewers can keep the Bengals' secondary honest on Sunday with his capacity to launch downfield throws, it wouldn't be a shock to see him fare rather well against Cincinnati's NFL-worst defense.

The Dolphins are sure to appear to be believers in Ewers behind closed doors. Let's see if he can rise to the occasion with a full week of starter practice reps under his belt.