Cam Miller may have the cleanest path to settling Miami’s quarterback question on Saturday.
After a rough showing against the Commanders in Week 1 of the Dolphins’ preseason schedule, the backup quarterback has a chance to reset with far more on the line. Quinn Ewers also struggled in that opener and then pulled his groin, which likely keeps him out against the Giants. That opens the door for Miller to take a major share of the work.
The Dolphins have two other quarterbacks on the roster not named Malik Willis, and both are expected to get meaningful snaps. Mark Gronowski is set to see his first NFL action after being waived before the Commanders game, while Miller is the one carrying the biggest burden.
There’s plenty riding on this week for Miller. If Ewers is unavailable and Miller gets the kind of extended run that could stretch to three quarters, he has to cash in on every chance. A rough outing would only push Gronowski further into the spotlight.
That’s the nature of preseason quarterback battles. Practice throws only tell part of the story. What matters more is how a quarterback handles live game pressure, the possibility of getting hit, and the need to win a roster spot in front of coaches.
The bigger picture may not be about a final 53-man job. With the league making it easier to use practice squad players when needed, the more realistic fight is over a quarterback spot behind the top two. Miller and Gronowski are trying to claim that role, while also putting themselves on notice for the rest of the NFL if they end up getting cut.
Miller didn’t do much to grab attention last week, and his camp has reportedly been uneven as well. This is the chance he needs.
He should have the snaps, the responsibility, and the chance to run the offense for most of the game. Now he has to convince the coaches.
Gronowski, meanwhile, enters as the mystery man. He missed Week 1 because he was cut before that game, and now he gets a real opportunity to show he can handle the next level. It’s also a chance to make his case to Jeff Hafley that he deserves the emergency third-string quarterback role.
Preseason games rarely feel like a direct win-or-lose test for individual players. This one does. With Ewers likely sidelined and Willis expected to play only a series of snaps, the battle behind them should dominate most of the afternoon.
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Jeff Hafley Sounds Fed Up With Dolphins Players Fighting For Jobs
Jeff Hafley came away from Miamis preseason loss to the New York Giants sounding more irritated than encouraged, and it was easy to see why. The Dolphins kept handing the game back with self-inflicted mistakes on offense and special teams, including holds, a fumble, a shanked punt and a stream of penalties that kept undercutting any chance to build rhythm. For a staff trying to sort out the back end of the roster, it was the kind of sloppy tape that makes every evaluation harder than it already is.
The bigger concern now is how little time there is left for players trying to force their way into jobs. Hafley made clear that many of the players who logged meaningful snaps in the preseason finale are probably headed for cuts, which only raises the pressure on anyone still fighting to stand out. When the mistakes are piling up and the margin for error is shrinking, the final audition can turn into a painfully short opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Ugly Start Is Fueling A Debate Fans Dread
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What follows from here is the part Dolphins supporters know all too well, the debate over talent, physicality, quarterback play and how long a rebuild or reset should take to show up in the standings. Some around the team see pieces that can still come together, while others are already looking ahead and wondering how much patience the roster can reasonably ask for. For now, the numbers are ugly, the concerns are real, and the bigger question hanging over camp is whether this is just a noisy August stumble or something more revealing. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Preseason Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The second week of the 2026 preseason offered a rough snapshot of where Miamis roster stands beneath the top line. With most of the starters resting against the Giants, the Dolphins leaned hard on depth players, and the result was a lopsided 26-3 loss that exposed problems on both sides of the ball. The offense had trouble getting moving, the defense had a hard time slowing New York, and the kind of clean, stable play teams want from their backups simply was not there.
There were a few bright spots, most notably rookie Jackson Woodard, who flashed with tackles and a fumble recovery, but the bigger concern was what happened up front. Miamis offensive line depth struggled significantly, which is the sort of issue that can ripple through the rest of the roster if it does not get cleaned up quickly. Injuries to linebacker Trey Moore and running back Ollie Gordon only added to the uneasy feeling leaving the game, because preseason losses are one thing, but depth concerns that come with physical setbacks are usually the ones teams spend the rest of August trying to solve. [Read more 🡒]