Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Dolphins' Quinn Ewers bounces back from dreadful debut

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 4:57 PM ET

When Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers made his preseason debut last week, he did not have a productive day. If anything, it showed why he almost fell entirely out of the 2025 NFL Draft and did not get selected until late in the seventh round.

The good news for Ewers is that one preseason game does not define a player's career or their upside, and there is always another opportunity to prove yourself.

Ewers got that opportunity on Saturday and took advantage of it against the Detroit Lions.

It was during that game, a 24-17 Dolphins win, where Ewers bounced back and looked like he belonged on an NFL field. He completed 11-of-17 passes for 116 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

His second touchdown had him rolling out to his left and throwing a perfect pass to Theo Wease Jr. for his second score of the game.

Make that ✌️ TDs for @QuinnEwers & @_TheoWeaseJr today pic.twitter.com/uaanajSLfH
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 16, 2025

This performance was a complete 180 from Ewers' preseason debut when he completed just 5-of-18 passes for only 91 yards and was sacked two times. It was not a good showing. He at least helped erase that bad taste a little bit on Saturday.

With Tua Tagovailoa locked in as Miami's starting quarterback, there is no pressure for Ewers to come and be a savior for the franchise. The best-case scenario for him in the short term is that he shows enough in preseason to earn a roster spot and potentially grow and develop into a solid NFL backup. That would be a positive result for a late seventh-round pick.

Ewers is still a long way from solidifying himself as that player, but Saturday was a strong step in at least showing that he does have the ability to at least potentially hang with players at the highest level.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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