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After wearing No. 3 in both high school and college, former Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers will don a different number in the NFL.
With linebacker K.J. Britt holding No. 3, Ewers is reportedly wearing No. 14 in his rookie season on the Miami Dolphins. While the significance of Ewers' number is unconfirmed, the potential reasoning could be that he was the 14th quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
On Thursday, Ewers agreed to a four-year rookie deal with the Dolphins that will range from $4.31 million to $4.33 million. He is participating in the Dolphins' rookie minicamp taking place Friday through Sunday.
To begin his rookie season in Miami, Ewers will sit behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson on the depth chart. Despite being a three-year starter at Texas and taking the Longhorns to two-consecutive College Football Playoff national semifinals, Ewers fell to the 231st pick in the seventh round of last month's NFL Draft.
Following Ewers' slide, there was a buzz of confusion, including from Ewers' agent. In his NFL Draft profile, Ewers is listed as a "good backup with the potential to develop into starter." Instead, he will likely start his professional career as an emergency quarterback.
Ewers told ESPN about his newfound underdog mentality.
"It's definitely a lot of motivation that comes with it, especially just being the last [quarterback] drafted," Ewers said in the May 3 article. "I still have high expectations for myself, but just from the outside looking in, this is the first time in my life to not have that much expectation. There's definitely motivation and fuel. A lot of it."
Due to Tagovailoa's injury history and Wilson's inconsistencies so far in his career, a door could open for Ewers. If an opportunity arises, he'll be ready for it.
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Bills GM says James Cook decision was 'disappointing'
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Illegal tackle causes Colts RB to suffer 'severe leg injury'
The Indianapolis Colts had a scary moment on Sunday when a running back went down during an 11-on-11 team period. Per James Boyd of The Athletic, practice had to be stopped for 10 minutes while trainers attended to running back Salvon Ahmed, who suffered a "severe leg injury" after he was brought down via an illegal tackle by safety Trey Washington. "The injury occurred when Ahmed broke a long run during an 11-on-11 period," Boyd wrote. "He was tackled from behind by undrafted rookie safety Trey Washington, but when Washington grabbed Ahmed, who kept his legs churning, Washington used a hip-drop tackle to bring Ahmed down and landed on his lower right leg. Ahmed immediately grabbed his lower right leg and screamed in agony. "Steichen said the players in the developmental periods (essentially third-stringers and players lower than them on the depth chart) were instructed to tackle during 11-on-11. However, Steichen emphasized, Washington’s hip-drop tackle was obviously the wrong way to bring Ahmed down." Steichen said the coaching staff doesn't encourage hip-drop tackles, and claimed Washington is "down in the dumps" after his tackle led to Ahmed's injury. The unfortunate incident highlights how difficult it can be for NFL defenders to make a tackle. The league made the hip-drop tackle illegal to try and curb injuries, as offensive players thought it was a dirty hit. In Washington's case, the undrafted rookie free agent from Ole Miss wasn't trying to make a dirty hit but trying to make a football move in a competitive environment to keep his job. Before the injury, Ahmed was trying to make a case for the practice squad, where he spent time on during 2024.
UDFA ready to carry Dallas Cowboys offense on his back
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