He may have been a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but Quinn Ewers arrived in the NFL out of Texas as a seventh-round pick. The Miami Dolphins stopped his unexpected draft slide by making him the 13th of 13 rookie quarterbacks to be selected. While I still have some belief that Ewers could be all that and a bag of chips in the NFL, his chances of making the Dolphins took a hit.
This all stems from a comment Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel made about veteran journeyman Zach Wilson. He is the other quarterback vying for the right to be Tua Tagovailoa's backup in Miami. Wilson failed spectacularly after being the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets back in 2021. He should have never been taken that high out of BYU, but him still being in the league is a positive sign.
McDaniel did not beat around the bush when discussing Wilson's mental toughness as a pro.
"He looks like a guy who has been through some s**t and found his way through it."
Ewers has been through some stuff as well, but I cannot say I have loved his body language at camp...
“He looks like a guy who has been through some shit and found his way through it.” - Mike McDaniel on Zach Wilson
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) June 10, 2025
It does serve the Dolphins to keep all three quarterbacks because Tagovailoa is so incredibly brittle.
Why Quinn Ewers may not end up making the Miami Dolphins after all
Where you land matters. More importantly, how you enter the league matters a whole lot more. If Ewers was a No. 2 overall pick like Wilson was coming out of BYU years ago, a team like the Dolphins would do everything in their power to make sure he becomes a success. A first-round pick is giving so many chances to prove his is not a bust. A late-round pick may get one shot to prove his worth.
Clearly, the Dolphins saw some value in Ewers throughout the NFL Draft process. It is why they were willing to take a flier on him in the latter part of day three. However, there are only 53 roster spots to be had. Having a third quarterback may be of great importance to a team like the Dolphins, but rostering all three may come at the cost of having one more end-of-the-roster guy making the team.
Because this is such a critical season for the Dolphins, McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier cannot afford to monkey around with the roster too much. There can be no entitlement. No excuses, just play ball. What I am getting at is Ewers needs to earn his roster spot. It is not going to be handed to him. This is not college football. This is the NFL. I cannot believe he may not make the team now.
Miami is a long way from deciding its quarterback room, but there are no guarantees Ewers makes it.