One surprise trait has been a major key to Quinn Ewers’ play, and it helps his bid to earn Dolphins starting QB role in 2026
Quinn Ewers is showing some encouraging signs — but one trait that’s flashing is a pleasant surprise in his bid to earn more playing time.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers has achieved what has proven quite difficult over four years of football under Mike McDaniel. He’s become the latest quarterback not named Tua Tagovailoa to win a start for the Dolphins.
Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson went a combined 1-4 for McDaniel in 2022, while Thompson and Snoop Huntley were 2-4 in 2024. Ewers, after dropping his first start last week against the Bengals, is in the win column. Miami’s 20-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offers plenty of intriguing storylines, but none of them match the biggest surprise of Ewers’ play through his first two weeks of action as a seventh-round rookie.
He’s playing games with defenders and manipulating throwing windows in a fashion that you usually don’t see from rookies. Ewers’ biggest throw of the day, a 63-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie WR Theo Wease Jr., happened because the quarterback moved the defenders on the perimeter. Ewers already understands the value of his helmet stripe and how it can move his defenders where he wants them to go — that’s a mature skill for a young quarterback.
Quinn Ewers’ eyes proving to be the biggest surprise of his start with the Miami Dolphins
“If I recall correctly, I think they were trying to show Cover 0, and then they rolled out of it into Cover 2. So I knew the corner was going to have his eyes on me. So I just had to look at Darren (Waller) and throw right over the top of the corner, and Theo ended up making a great play on it,” said Ewers of his long pass to Wease Jr. to open Miami’s scoring.
“It’s hard because I could see it in the peripheral in my vision, looking at Darren (Waller) and throwing to Theo, if that makes sense…I don’t really know if you’d consider it a no-look pass.”
This has quickly become a constant of Ewers’ throws in his first two NFL starts. It was something that I remember popping up with him, going back to Texas’ big win over Michigan in 2024, where Ewers led the Longhorns to a 31-12 victory. And then, late in last week’s loss to Cincinnati, Ewers manipulated zone coverage with his eyes again before ear-holing a shot to Wease Jr. for a chunk gain.
Okay, rook!
This is the most impressive and surprising part of Ewers’ play through the first two games. The speed of the game is proving not to be the barrier it often is for players inexperienced at the NFL level. Go ahead and pat yourselves on the back, SEC fans. The level of competition at Texas surely helps in this regard. But then again, certain guys look like they’re drinking water from a fire hydrant when they first step onto an NFL field.
That’s not Ewers. And while that likely won’t guarantee him much of anything for the 2026 offseason, and it is probably safe to imagine that competition is headed his way in the quarterback room for next year, it does offer some enthusiasm for what his profile can look like if he continues to stack valuable playing time and get more experience.
His last chance for 2025 will be a big one — as Ewers and the Dolphins prep to head north and face the New England Patriots for the regular season finale. Want to really get South Florida buzzing? Win that one.
Quinn Ewers’ first two NFL starts with the Miami Dolphins
- 1-1 record
- 34/52 passing (65.4% completion)
- 432 yards (8.3 yards per attempt)
- 2 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions
- 88.0 passer rating
Miami Dolphins News
The Dolphins’ quarterback crossroads may finally be intersecting with a perfect pivot in 2026
Is Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa pivot currently residing in Green Bay?
