Quinn Ewers Makes His Case For 2026

Quinn Ewers Makes His Case For 2026

Quinn Ewers’ first career start was rather forgetful; the seventh-rounder threw for 260 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. I wrote last week about how it was more of the same for the Dolphins from the perspective of quarterback play.

Given that the team had moved on from starter Tua Tagovailoa, more of the same wasn’t going to leave anyone impressed and certainly wasn’t enough to earn Ewers the right to compete for the starting job in 2026. 

Fortunately for Ewers and Dolphins fans alike, this week was a different story. Ewers looked more comfortable than he did against the Bengals in the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When it was all said and done, Ewers went for 172 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The improvement left more than just fans impressed, as head coach Mike McDaniel had praise for the rookie in his post-game press conference. 

“You have an idea, feeling that a game isn’t too big for a player based on your experience day in, day out with a player.” McDaniel said. “It’s awesome in this profession when you believe in people and they take advantage of the opportunity. Quinn played a very good game. What we asked him to do was be responsible but aggressive with the football.”

Ewers’ first career touchdown came late in the first quarter with the Dolphins trailing 7-0. It was 3rd and eight, and a miscommunication on the Buccaneers’ part allowed fellow rookie wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. to get behind them. Wease caught the ball at the 40 and sprinted to paydirt.

While it is true that the touchdown came as a result of the blown assignment, we can still give Ewers credit for immediately identifying that and throwing a solid pass, hitting Wease Jr. mostly in stride for the easy score. 

His second touchdown pass came on third and goal late in the second quarter. Tight end Greg Dulcich, who has been impressive during his time in Miami, found a soft spot over the middle. The score put Miami up 17-7 heading into halftime. 

The second half saw the Dolphins’ offense slow, with the Bucs holding them scoreless in the third before they would kick a field goal early in the fourth quarter. That field would be the difference in the game and provide Ewers with his first win as an NFL quarterback. 

It was a great improvement for Ewers; he looked comfortable and at times very much in command of the offense. If he can provide a similar performance in the regular season finale against the New England Patriots, then he will have earned himself a shot at the starting job going into 2026.

You can follow me on YouTube @WickedGoodEverything and X @TheFakeBMarr