Tua Tagovailoa is no longer a member of the Miami Dolphins. That leaves the quarterback position wide open, but the fallout points toward Quinn Ewers taking over the job.
The NFL is sometimes one of those weird places where the smallest thing can have a major impact on a team. Who would have thought that an average at best Michigan QB would become the winningest quarterback in NFL history? Tom Brady being drafted in the 6th round is still shocking.
Ewers was an average quarterback at Texas, and it cost him draft positioning. The 7th-round selection has a long way to go before he has his name mentioned as one of the NFL's best, but the opportunity may have opened for him to grab hold of. For Ewers, however, it isn't his job just yet. Jimmy Garoppolo looks to be in play.
The Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback could be Jimmy Garoppolo this season after Tua's release
The Dolphins will have competition at the position, but at this point, it's Ewers' job to lose. The Dolphins have recently been linked to Garoppolo. This makes sense given his connections with Bobby Slowik and his familiarity with the offensive system.
Miami has to find some money first. Malik Willis appears to be the favorite, but his reported contract will likely take the Dolphins out of the running. That doesn't leave many options. A 12-year veteran, Garoppolo has been a backup most of the last two seasons with the Rams.
When camp opens in late July, Ewers will get the work in with the first team offense. He didn't get that chance until Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa late in the 2025 season. It will be interesting to see how quickly he picks up the offense under Slowik.
Ewers handled the transition from third-team quarterback to starter for the final three games of the 2025 season well enough. It was clear he had a lot to work on, but overall, his production, command of the field, and ability to lead the offense weren't too big a concern for him. That's an important part of the job.
Miami isn't going to just hand the offense over to Ewers. He will have to earn it, but having Slowik as the OC certainly helps. Slowik has been quite supportive of Ewers since he took over for Tagovailoa.
The offense will be similar to the one McDaniel ran last year, so the learning curve won't be as bad. It will be interesting to see who the Dolphins will challenge him with. A savvy veteran or a top-end draft pick, maybe?
Miami will begin looking for a new QB. Free agency begins Monday, unofficially, at noon and officially at 4:00 PM on March 11th. Tagovailoa can sign with any team he desires after his official release on Monday.