Jaguars acquire Quinn Ewers from Dolphins

The Dolphins signed QB Mark Gronowski after Ewers picked up the injury. Ewers is the Dolphins’ primary backup, so the team was a little short-staffed for the remaining preseason games. Dolphins backup OT Jamaree Salyer reportedly suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on injured reserve. The Dolphins also waived CB Ethan Robinson and signed LB Cam Riley.

Kelly published an offseason awards list today, and Willis’ review was not great. Kelly believes the coaching staff " needs to find a way to improve his processing speed.” He also thinks Willis “needs to spend the next month developing better chemistry with his weaponry.” The latter issue has been mentioned before by coach Jeff Hafley and OC Bobby Slowik. To be fair to Willis, Kelly notes that Willis never once attempted a scramble in practice open to media members because he is trying to refine his pocket passing. Unfortunately, Kelly believes Willis failed to put distance between himself and backup QB Quinn Ewers, whom Slowik complimented publicly earlier this month. Willis will score plenty of fantasy points with his legs this season, but he will need to produce at least somewhat reliably as a passer as well.

Slowik is a big fan of his QB2. He told us so in February, and apparently Ewers’ play continues to draw Slowik’s favor. Slowik complimented Ewers’ newfound conviction, adding that when he just “reacts” to how the play is unfolding in front of him, “he does some really cool stuff.” That said, we fully expect QB Malik Willis to be the Dolphins’ starter in Week 1. Consider Ewers a worthwhile stash in dynasty formats, just in case.

According to Pauline, Ewers could be the Dolphins’ preferred option at QB in 2026 if the team is unable to sign Malik Willis this offseason. Ewers threw for 622-3-3 in four games with the Dolphins last season while making three starts. The rookie seventh-rounder was also sacked eight times on just 31 pressures and fumbled the ball three times. Slowik and the Dolphins could have limited options available to them to improve their QB room this offseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Ewers did work his way into the starting lineup if the Fins are unable to land their preferred option at QB in free agency.

“So yes, we will find our guy, but we’re going to make sure that we’re building the infrastructure along the way so when we do find our trigger man -- whoever that may be, whether it’s Tua, Quinn [Ewers] or somebody that’s not in the building -- we have a team that he can go play and win with,” Sullivan continued. It sounds like the Dolphins new management feels like the current quarterback room is at ground zero, and Sullivan further added “we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year, because I think you have to.” Neither Tua Tagovailoa nor Quinn Ewers appear to be on firm ground with the new regime. Tagovailoa is a likely post-June 1 release, while Ewers could be traded if another team was willing to part with enough for him.

Ewers departed late with a “knee injury,” but he was healthy enough to not only attend his post-game press conference, but to do so standing up. That almost certainly means his departure was purely precautionary. Ewers’ arm strength left something to be desired during his three starts in place of Tua Tagovailoa, but he was probably a more effective option despite an injury-diminished supporting cast. That very much included on Sunday, where his “top weapon” was Malik Washington. At the very least, Ewers has cemented a spot on the Dolphins’ 2026 53-man roster. There’s a lot to sort out beyond that, namely the futures of Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel, but there’s a non-zero percent chance Ewers is the Week 1 starter. We aren’t saying that’s a great idea, but it’s not a lead balloon, either. You will be hearing a lot more about this situation over the next 3-4 months.

Ewers scored his first two career touchdowns in his first career win against the Buccaneers. The first score came on a busted coverage where WR Theo Wease Jr. got behind the Bucs defense and caught a lob for a 63-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Ewers limited risk within Mike McDaniel’s structured play-calling the rest of the game and connected with Greg Dulcich for an 11-yard score at the end of the second quarter. He hasn’t shown the strongest arm in his two starts this season, but a victory over a Bucs team looking to make the playoff certainly earns Ewers some merit. Still in the QB3 range for fantasy purposes, he will get one more start against the Pats in Week 18 to show the Dolphins he deserves starting consideration heading into next season.

Making his first start, the 22-year-old seventh-round rookie didn’t have a genuine disaster day, but he got worse as the game wore on. Both of his picks came in the second half, leading to an avalanche third quarter where the Bengals out-scored the ‘Fins 21-0. Ewers’ first giveaway came on a batted ball he forced to Theo Wease. The second featured a nifty grab by the defender on a Jaylen Waddle sideline target. Ewers did thread a few nice passes to Waddle and Darren Waller, but genuine highlights were few and far between. The ‘Fins were just thankful there were not more lowlights. If there’s a concern, it’s that the Bengals are one of the league’s softest matchups. The Bucs are another potentially plus spot for Week 17, but Ewers is still outside the top 24 at quarterback.

As expected, Rapoport notes Tua Tagovailoa is not expected to return in 2026. The Dolphins will either have to eat over $90 million in dead cap to cut Tua or find a trade partner. They would still be on the hook for many millions of dollars if that happens. McDaniel has seemingly gotten the most out of Tagovailoa during their time in Miami. Opposing defenses have simply figured out every adjustment McDaniel made to his offense. Now the experiment is at an end. Quinn Ewers will draw the start this week. Per Rapoport, McDaniel believes Ewers “is what this offense needs to run properly.” We’re skeptical of that, but a strong showing from the rookie would go a long way in keeping McDaniel on the good side of ownership as he looks to keep his job into 2026.

The move comes after the Dolphins’ crushing defeat against the Steelers on Monday night. Tagovailoa’s struggles have persisted for the better part of two seasons, and this year he ranks 27th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt, 14th in drop back success rate, and 26th in EPA per drop back. Since losing Tyreek Hill to a season-ending leg injury in September, Tua is one of the least efficient QBs in the league. His contract with Miami doesn’t have a potential out until 2027, meaning the team might have no choice but to pay him $56.4 million in 2026 even if he’s not the starter. There won’t be many teams inquiring about Tua’s services after he was thoroughly exposed in the absence of the game-breaking Hill.