The Miami Dolphins picked up their seventh win of the 2025 season in Week 17, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17. It was a strong day overall on both sides of the ball, but the big story was the play of rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers.
The 2025 seventh-round pick completed 14 of 22 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, a massive improvement from his first career start a week ago against the Bengals. He looked comfortable running head coach Mike McDaniel's offense, something that has proven difficult for previous backups in Miami.
It was the kind of performance that should give general manager Champ Kelly (or his eventual replacement) plenty to think about when deciding how to attack the QB position this offseason. With Tua Tagovailoa's Dolphins career all but over, finding a new starting QB is the top priority. Even if it's just as a bridge to the next franchise passer, Ewers proved that he has the talent to be that for Miami in 2026.
Quinn Ewers may have played himself into 2026 QB1 status for the Miami Dolphins
I want to stress that Ewers' showing against the Buccaneers isn't enough to say that he is a bona fide starter in the NFL, but it may have been enough to give him a leg up in the likely QB competition coming for the Dolphins in 2026. With Tua likely gone or exiled to the bench, Miami will need to figure out how it wants to handle the position.
They could look to add a veteran in free agency or via trade, draft someone early, or even take another late-round flyer, or stick with Ewers after what he has shown this season. With the free agent market lacking interesting options and the 2026 QB class looking weaker by the day, Ewers may have the upper hand if he plays well again in Week 18 against the Patriots.
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It would be a full-circle moment for the former Texas Longhorn, who dealt with multiple injuries and sky-high expectations during his college career. He failed to live up to them, which led to his draft stock crashing all the way to the seventh round. Now, he may be playing his way into a starting spot in the NFL for a team that could desperately use a cheap solution at QB.
Dolphins fans may be a bit underwhelmed if they don't attack QB more aggressively this offseason, but it would probably be for the best. They will have to deal with Tua's deal taking up a ton of cap space regardless of whether he is on the team or not, and they have a ton of retooling to do at multiple positions. Saving money and draft picks that would be used on a new QB would be huge, even if it's only for a year or two.
Hopefully, this is just the first of several solid starts for Ewers in his Dolphins career.