Jon-Eric Sulllivan has been non-committal on who will compete for the Miami Dolphins' starting job in 2026, but he may have inadvertently answered some of those questions when he spoke with the media at the NFL Combine on Tuesday.
Naturally, the conversation would have to turn to the quarterback position. Sullivan wasted no time addressing the issue the team is facing with Tua Tagovailoa, but it was the comments he slid in about Quinn Ewers that could be the key to Miami's 2026 season.
Jon-Eric Sullivan on Tua… pic.twitter.com/MPZdOgu1Gu
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) February 24, 2026
Jon-Eric Sullivan just gave Quinn Ewers a reason to believe Miami Dolphins' 2026 QB job is his to lose
Sullivan jumped ahead of any questions regarding the QB situation by addressing the position before it was asked. "Everything is on the table," Sullivan said regarding Tagovailoa. Then, he added Ewers' name to the picture.
"Quinn did a nice job, toward the end of the year. Excited about what is ahead for him."Jon-Eric Sullivan
It may not be much, but give the audio a listen in the Salguero tweet, and you can hear the fluctuation in his voice when he talks about Ewers and how it changes when he mentions Tagovailoa.
Make no mistake, Sullivan isn't handing anything to Ewers. He will have to compete for the starting job, and Sullivan stresses that they will draft a QB this year and will also be looking at free agency as an option.
Since his arrival, Sullivan has made a point to say that every position on the roster will be competitive, including quarterback. The Dolphins are linked to Malik Willis as a free-agent option, but it won't stop there.
The odd man out in all of this seems to be Tagovailoa. The franchise's most expensive player seems to be on borrowed time. The fact that he was benched in favor of Ewers last season is a highlight of his continued regression over the last two seasons.
If Ewers is given the franchise's offense next year, he will have to impress the new coaching staff with more than just play on the field. Growth as a leader will also be key, and the Dolphins will be watching his tape closely throughout the season if he does end up as the starting QB.