The Miami Dolphins, in very smart fashion, are beefing up the quarterback room ahead of training camp.
Last season was a disaster for Miami, a team with postseason aspirations that were quickly brought to heel. Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2, which caused him to miss four weeks. It was the fourth concussion of his NFL career, sparking major long-term concerns about Tagovailoa's health beyond the football field.
While he eventually suited back up and looked the part of a franchise quarterback, Miami barely scraped its way to an 8-9 record, only to miss the playoffs entirely. A significant driving force behind their subpar record was a subpar backup quarterback. Or quarterbacks. Miami turned it over to the likes of Skylar Thompson and Scoop Huntley when Tagovailoa went down. Neither looked like anything remotely resembling an NFL quarterback.
Now, with camp on the horizon and postseason dreams born anew, the Dolphins are taking extra precautions behind Tagovailoa on the depth chart, as he has only played all 17 games in the regular season once across five years in the NFL.
Brett Gabbert is the latest addition to the Dolphins QB room.
Dolphins sign Brett Gabbert in ongoing effort to beef up QB room
Is Brett Gabbert going to crack the Week 1 roster? Almost definitely not. But the Dolphins are bringing options into the building, with Gabbert potentially in line to serve as the practice squad QB and a break-in-case-of-emergency option, should things get dire in Miami. And, as last season proved, things can get dire.
Gabbert took a unique path to the Dolphins roster. The undrafted rookie spent six years at Miami (OH), throwing for 2,921 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior for the RedHawks. He is now the fourth-string option as Miami approaches training camp, with Zach Wilson and seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers expected to fight for primary backup duties behind Tagovailoa.
While none of Miami's backup quarterbacks are worth writing home about, this QB room is dramatically better than what Dolphins fans beared witness to in 2024. Thompson and Huntley were astonishingly inadequate.
Wilson has his share of disappointments on the record, he was a beloved figure in the Broncos QB room last season and he's a former No. 2 pick with major untapped talent. If he can break through with any team, the Dolphins — equipped with an explosive playmaking corps and a running an absurdly dynamic scheme — feel like his best shot.
FanSided's Cody Williams sure sounds like a believer.
As for Ewers, he probably made a mistake going pro a year early, but again, the Dolphins are a great situation for any quarterback. Tagovailoa is locked in as QB1 right now, but the door could always swing open due to injury. Plus, there's no guarantee that Tagovailoa gets a second big contract in Miami when his current deal expires in 2026. If Ewers puts together a couple solid years in the backup gig and the Dolphins decide to move on from Tua when the moment arrives, well — crazier things have happened.
Gabbert, again, is probably a practice squad guy, but it's worth developing as many options as possible when your starting QB is as volatile as Tagovailoa. The Dolphins need to be able to tread water when Tua gets hurt. This roster feels much more capable of doing that.