If Dolphins bench QB Tua Tagovailoa, they should consider pulling another unexpected move by starting Quinn Ewers

Miami, which has already been eliminated from playoff contention, has nothing to lose by starting Ewers. If he flops, the losses count the same. If he flashes potential, he may suddenly offer the Dolphins a solution to their QB problem.

Benching Tagovailoa — who's in the second year of a four-year, $212.4M deal — would signal he and the Dolphins are heading toward an expensive divorce this offseason. Spotrac estimates releasing the QB would incur a record-breaking $99.2M cap hit for Miami. The Dolphins would certainly designate this with a post-June 1 tag to spread the cost over two years. 

Having a viable starting QB who's on a cheap rookie contract would make moving on from Tagovailoa easier for Miami. Ewers is on a four-year, $4.33M contract.  

Ewers fell to pick No. 231 in the draft because of injury concerns. In three seasons at Texas, he battled shoulder, oblique and ankle issues. He was also often overshadowed by his backup, Arch Manning. The Longhorns star, of course, is the nephew of Super Bowl champions Peyton and Eli, making him a more attractive prospect to NFL scouts.

Ewers isn't talentless. He finished third in program history in touchdown passes (68) and had many big road wins during his college career. In 2023, he led the Longhorns to a 34-24 road win over a Nick Saban-led Alabama squad. It was the former HC's only home loss by at least 10 points in his 17-year career with the Crimson Tide.

Since arriving in Miami, Ewers has played little. He briefly replaced a benched Tagovailoa late in the fourth quarter of a 31-6 Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On a rainy day, the rookie QB fumbled twice but completed 5-of-8 passes for 53 yards, including a 40-yarder to wide receiver Dee Eskridge. 

Clearly, there's little incentive for the Dolphins to play Wilson when they should be determining whether Ewers is more than an intriguing backup QB.