Well, it happened. Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has opted to bench starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after being backed into a corner and not having much else of a choice.
In Tua's place, McDaniel chose to start rookie Quinn Ewers this weekend, skipping over another veteran in Zach Wilson. The seventh-round pick out of Texas has his shot, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
If there was ever the best-case scenario for Ewers to make his first NFL start, it's this one in Week 16. The Dolphins not only play at home, but they also host the Cincinnati Bengals, who boast the league's worst defense.
In short, this is as close to a lay-up as Ewers could possibly get, and he gets it in his first start.
Quinn Ewers has a real shot to make the Miami Dolphins think hard about 2026
If Ewers can come out and play well against the Bengals, it's not going to matter that he did it against the 32nd-ranked defense in the NFL. Sure, the Bengals are allowing 403.8 yards per game (the only team allowing north of 400).
But this is still an NFL team and, on any given Sunday, we have seen that nothing is guaranteed. Just a few weeks ago, the Bengals held Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to 14 points in a big win.
Since then, the Bengals have given up 39 and 24 points in back-to-back losses.
It's safe to say Ewers is likely hoping he gets the more recent version of Cincinnati's defense.
Speaking of the more recent version of that Bengals defense, over their last three games, Cincy has allowed an opposing quarterback rating of 105.5, which is even worse than their season-long average of 104.1.
The point is that Ewers is being set up for as much success as he can be. This isn't the Cleveland Browns defense coming to town. It's not like Ewers will have Myles Garrett in his face all afternoon. No, the Bengals are about as soft as they come.
That said, if Ewers doesn't look good, then it'll be hard for him to convince the Dolphins to even think of putting him in the mix for 2026. And, it only gets tougher as the Dolphins face a Todd Bowles defense in Week 17 and the Mike Vrabel-led Patriots in Week 18.
Now is the time if Ewers is going to make Miami think strongly about the future.