The Miami Dolphins are in a desperate place heading into the 2026 NFL season. After back-to-back disappointing years, the team chose to blow it up entirely, moving on from their quarterback, top-two wide receivers, and the head coach as well.
Their latest move, though, was a puzzling one, as they traded their backup quarterback, Quinn Ewers, to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But for fans in Miami, the move drew widespread acclaim.
Quinn Ewers Did Not Make Many Fans with the Dolphins
Last year, after a brutal start under Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins gave Ewers some burn toward the end of the season. In total, he played in four games and was adequately solid, particularly for a seventh-round pick.
Tallying 622 passing yards and three touchdowns, he also threw three interceptions, but with an average yards per attempt rate of 7.5, there were some positives that the franchise could take away from his performances.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster for long, as the Dolphins readily agreed to a deal with the Jaguars, with the AFC South team sending a 2028 sixth-round pick in exchange for Ewers. After inquiring about Spencer Rattler as well, Jacksonville finally got its backup quarterback.
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But that has left the Dolphins in an interesting place. Giving Malik Willis a legitimate shot as the starter, they don’t have a designated QB2 on the roster yet. Still, some people liked the choice to move on to Ewers, especially in the hopes of bringing in a different QB2.
“Ewers looked terrible…I hope for a similar skill set backup QB to Willis, like Milroe/Milton/Jalon Daniels/Anthony Richardson/Taylen Green,” a fan wrote on X.
Ewers looked terrible…i hope for a similar skill set backup QB to Willis like Milroe/Milton/Jalon Daniels/Anthony Richardson/Taylen Green
— Marcus Zahn (@Dolphini2) August 29, 2026
Another fan was happy that the organization was being more proactive and cutthroat with these choices.
He wrote, “Front office making these decisions is good! JES (Jon-Eric Sullivan) here long term.”
One fan was brutal in his assessment of the second-year star, claiming, “Getting anything for Ewers is a miracle, great move on their part.”
Getting anything for Ewers is a miracle, great move on their part. https://t.co/M9qbLuNMwm
— El Oso Blanco (@Supertainment) August 29, 2026
Another fan claimed, “Product of [Mike] McDaniel’s scheme, he looked so bad,” while one went so far as to call him “trash,” sarcastically wishing the Jaguars. “LOL, have fun, Jags, dude is straight up trash.”
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However, for much of the fan base, the move was seen as a relatively inconsequential transaction.
“I’ll say this. I don’t even know if Ewers is better than Mullens. However, I’ll take him over Bradley. I wouldn’t roster either of them personally. The trade comp is effectively nothing tho lol,” a fan wrote on X.
I’ll say this. I don’t even know if Ewers is better than Mullens. However, I’ll take him over Bradley
I wouldn’t roster either of them personally. The trade comp is effectively nothing tho lol
— Josiah (@Josiah_Caswell) August 29, 2026
It remains to be seen if Ewers can find new life with the Jaguars. But after a transformational year under head coach Liam Coen, they will be hoping to build on their momentum rather than take a step back.
As a result, this trade for Ewers could be little more than an insurance policy for the team whose starting quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, ranked 14th on PFN’s QB Impact Metric last season.
