The Miami Dolphins spent part of the offseason with Quinn Ewers penciled in as their future answer at quarterback, but that picture has changed fast. What once looked like a path toward 2026 starts now looks more like a fight just to stay in the mix.
Former Dolphin Darren Waller said that if Mike McDaniel had remained head coach, Ewers would have been the plan to open the 2026 season. Instead, Miami’s new decision-makers moved quickly once free agency opened and committed to Malik Willis on a significant contract, shutting the door on the idea that Ewers would be handed the job.
That left Ewers in what seemed like a straightforward backup battle, with Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski behind him. But through the first five training camp practices, he has not separated himself. According to Dolphins pressman Travis Wingfield, practice No. 5 may have been the roughest of the bunch.
The most damaging stretch came in two-minute work. Wingfield wrote: "Ojabo has pressure on Ewers' first play of two-minute [drill], ball gets tipped by Major Burns and Ethan Bonner sprints his butt off to the ball and is rewarded with the pick." Ojabo then sacked Ewers on the very next snap.
A second attempt did not clean things up. Wingfield reported: "Marco Wilson feels an in-breaker coming by Tutu [Atwell] from Quinn [Ewers] and jumps it, nearly picks it off."
That play was followed by another sack, this one shared by EDGE rusher Cameron Goode and defensive tackle Zeek Biggers. Wingfield summed up the sequence as "Dominant defense in that two-minute period."
If Ewers keeps trending this way, Miami may have to start looking elsewhere for a backup option. His rookie season showed some promise, but those reps came under a different regime. In this setup, he has to earn it again, and as a 2025 seventh-round pick, he does not have much security.
A few veteran names are out there if the Dolphins decide they want a different look. Joshua Dobbs spent 2025 backing up Drake Maye with the New England Patriots. Jimmy Garoppolo has also surfaced in recent reports after retirement rumors circulated earlier this offseason, and there are other options too, including Desmond Ridder, Clayton Tune and Jeff Driskel, who has 25 games of NFL experience.
Whether any of those quarterbacks would clearly beat out Ewers right now is another question. But the larger point is simple: his roster spot is not locked in, and the gap between presumed backup and a player on the outside can shrink quickly in camp.
For now, Ewers is still in the race. The next few weeks will tell whether he can separate himself or whether Miami has to keep shopping the position.
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