The Miami Dolphins have strung together a rather impressive closing stretch to the 2025 season, with Week 17's 20-17 win over the playoff-contending Buccaneers showcasing their latest prime display of resilience.
Quinn Ewers, taking the reins at quarterback for Tua Tagovailoa, dominated headlines before his starting debut resulted in a disastrous 45-21 loss to the Bengals at home. However, the Fins rallied around Ewers to beat the Bucs in a game Tampa Bay had so much to play for.
As much love as interim GM Champ Kelly is getting in the wake of Chris Grier's exit, the latter appears to have taken a brilliant seventh-round draft flier on Ewers, who could be Miami's QB of the future.
Or at least it feels that way in the moment, based on what some other Dolphins are saying.
Miami Dolphins rookie WR Theo Wease Jr. praises Quinn Ewers as 'swaggiest on the field'
What a bar from Theo Wease Jr. here. The rookie undrafted free agent out of Mizzou (and Oklahoma before then) hauled in a 63-yard TD from Ewers on Sunday to blow the game open.
.@QuinnEwers lets it fly and finds @_TheoWeaseJr for six! pic.twitter.com/W6iVDF8dRl
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 28, 2025
Asked about his QB afterwards, Wease couldn't have had much more glowing praise for Ewers if he tried — and for that, Fins fans should be grateful!
🎥 Theo Wease Jr. on Quinn Ewers: "Just how calm and poised he is... he is the swaggiest on the field, just how he carries himself and just brings more confidence to the offense." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/T9RCRm3vqG
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) December 28, 2025
Interestingly enough, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel hinted at how Tua's diminished confidence, juxtaposed with the swag-tastic Ewers as Wease might label him, ultimately led to the major change at QB.
We're seeing the results of Ewers' confidence unfold in real time. For a guy who endured boo birds and calls for his job at the University of Texas while Arch Manning waited in the wings, Ewers is used to the pressure. He was a historically hyped high school recruit, so the spotlight is no stranger to him.
The fact that Ewers has overcome so much in such a young career, only to flash legitimate starter potential through only eight NFL quarters as The Guy, shows what type of upside he has.
Wease can see how Ewers already commands the huddle, efficiently operates the offense, and even gives the Dolphins a downfield, attacking element that they lacked when Tua was at the controls.
It's not the best timing for a trial run right now, since much is uncertain about Miami's future, including McDaniel's job status to some degree. However, Quinn Ewers looks to be, at the very least, a capable spot starter already, and that makes him a downright draft steal.
Just think if Wease becomes a legit piece of the offense going forward, and Ewers starts. A seventh-rounder and a UDFA from this otherwise-lost 2025 season, emerging as franchise cornerstones? What a mic drop, parting-shot achievement that'd be for Grier on the heels of such fan ire and results-based disappointments.