The Miami Dolphins made a surprising announcement Wednesday morning when they decided to bench starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The team will hand the reins to rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers for the upcoming game. With Ewers suddenly thrust into the spotlight, it is worth taking a closer look at who he is and how he ended up in Miami.
Who is Quinn Ewers?
Although Tagovailoa has struggled this season, sitting him is still shocking considering the contract Miami committed to him.
However, the bigger surprise is who the Dolphins are turning to next. Instead of going with veteran Zach Wilson, they are going with the rookie Ewers.
The Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In college, the 22-year-old played multiple games that showed his potential. Two of the games that stand out the most were his 2023 road victory over Alabama and his 2024 road victory over Michigan.
In 2023, Ewers went into Tuscaloosa and completed 63.2% of his passes (24 of 38) for 349 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 34-24 victory. Defeating Alabama, especially when head coach Nick Saban led them, is a big deal.
Then in 2024, he went into the Big House and defeated the Michigan Wolverines. In that game, Ewers completed 66.7% of his passes (24 of 36) for 246 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 31-12 victory. Although the Wolverines were not as strong in 2024, winning in the Big House is never easy, and Ewers once again delivered an efficient performance.
A major move in Miami: the Dolphins are benching QB Tua Tagovailoa and turning to Quinn Ewers as their new starting QB, per sources.
Ewers’ first start comes Sunday vs. the Bengals. pic.twitter.com/lzs2J1EfjP
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2025
In three collegiate seasons, Ewers completed 64.9% of his passes (737 of 1,135) for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. He was also an honorable mention as an all-Big 12 conference player in 2023 and named second team all-SEC in 2024.
Ewers is currently on a rookie contract with the Dolphins. As a seventh-round pick, he signed a contract for four years, worth just over $4.3 million. That includes a $131,576 signing bonus and $131,576 gauranteed. It works out to an annual salary of just over $1 million.
Despite that success, there were still questions about how his game would translate to the NFL. According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Ewers struggled as a smooth full-field reader, predetermining where he is throwing the ball, and lacked escapability in college. Zierlein’s player comparisons for Ewers were Sam Howell and Kelly Holcomb, which underscores the belief that he may be more of a developmental option than a long-term solution.
Thus, naming Ewers the starter is certainly an interesting choice. However, given his seventh-round status and low-cost rookie contract, the Dolphins are likely using this opportunity to see exactly what they have. From there, Miami can better decide whether Ewers is worth further development or if drafting a quarterback becomes a priority
