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Countdown to Camp: Previewing the Dolphins QB Room

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By David Bearman | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Believe it or not, the Miami Dolphins training camp is less than three weeks away. The beginning of camp always brings out the most optimism when it comes to season hopes, as everyone is 0-0, and almost everyone is healthy. Until something goes wrong, the Super Bowl is still a possibility. But what exactly will the Dolphins have when camp starts?

We begin a series of camp position breakdowns with the Quarterback room, which can easily be seen as the biggest sink-or-swim situation among any of the Dolphins’ positions ahead of the 2025 season. Health at this position is what sunk Miami’s hopes last season, so moves were made to improve the room for 2025. Is it better? Let’s take a look.

The Starter

The one thing we do know when it comes to the Dolphins’ QB room is who the unquestioned starter is. Tua Tagovailoa, when healthy, is QB1, and that is not up for debate. “When healthy” has been the problem, as Tua has had only one injury-free season. He showed that, “when healthy”, he can be an elite QB that leads the Dolphins to the postseason. In that 2023 season, in which he played all 17 regular-season games, Tua led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and was 5th in completion percentage and QB rating. He was a steady force behind one of the best offseasons in the league, leading Miami to 11 wins.

However, that was the only season he played all 17 games. Last year, he missed six games, four in the middle of the season, where Miami went 1-3 and created a huge hole they were unable to climb out of, falling short of the postseason. The 2021 and 2022 seasons saw him only play 13 games each, after playing 10 games in his rookie season. Which brings us to the next, most important question:

If Tua isn’t healthy, which we’ve seen in four of his five seasons, are the Dolphins in a position to still compete without him? Last year showed Miami did not have a deep or good enough QB room with Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle all splitting time during Miami’s 1-3 stretch without Tua in September and October. So what does the QB room look like behind Tagovailoa in 2025?

The QB Room

The Dolphins were quiet for the most part in free agency back in March, but they did sign former first-round pick Zach Wilson to a one year/$6M deal in March that could be worth $10M. The former No. 2 overall pick of the New York Jets in 2021, Wilson has been a bust so far in his NFL career, throwing 23 TDs and 25 Ints, while compiling a 12-21 record with the Jets. He was traded to the Broncos for the 2024 season but did not see the field, falling behind rookie Bo Nix and backup Jarrett Stidham in Denver, which speaks volumes.

Is this an improvement over Skylar Thompson or Tim Boyle? Head coach Mike McDaniel would say so and has long been a fan of Wilson’s arm strength, but we just haven’t seen it. A change in scenery has proven to work for other QBs in the past (see Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, etc), and McDaniel could be a perfect fit for Wilson, but I still have my doubts. It was only $6M, and the Dolphins did make an effort to get a tested backup, but Wilson has failed most of those tests over the years. While I might feel slightly more confident in a Wilson-led offense than a Thompson or Hundley one, it still would be a long road ahead if Tagovailoa goes down again.

After signing Wilson, the Dolphins maintained their commitment to improving the QB room by spending a 7th-round pick on former Texas starter Quinn Ewers. A former 5-star recruit, Ewers stayed ahead of top prospect Arch Manning on the Longhorns’ depth chart and led Texas to the College Football national semifinals. He completed 65.8 percent of his passes for nearly 3500 yards and 31 TDs in 2024, throwing mostly short targets, which would fit well in the Dolphins’ scheme. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but does give the Dolphins a solid scheme QB should Tua and Wilson both go down.

Blaine Gabbert‘s brother Brett, a rookie out of Miami of Ohio, is also on the Dolphins training camp roster, but do not expect to see him make the roster.

Overall

So, there’s a little bit of a change to the QB room from 2024 to 2025. Instead of relying on NFL journeymen across the board, Miami has a former No. 2 overall pick, who is on his way to being a journeyman and a couple of unproven rookies. At the end of the day, the outlook is the same: a healthy Tua gives the Dolphins a legit chance to make the postseason in 2025 and everything else is a big question mark if he is injured.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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