NFL preseason makes Steve Sarkisian’s greatest Arch Manning mistake more clear

You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Quinn Ewers most certainly did not do that in his preseason debut for the Miami Dolphins over the weekend. Even though the Dolphins were tied with the Chicago Bears 24-24 at the end of regulation, it was a weekend to forget for the Miami passing offense. Tua Tagovailoa was awful in a joint practice, and Ewers was brutal on Sunday.

Between Ewers, Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson they each completed five passes on the day. Wilson threw for the most yards in nine attempts, while Tagovailoa essentially played Captain Checkdown in his limited run this weekend. As for Ewers he was a dreadful 5-of-18 for 91 yards with no touchdowns and two fumbles. Although the drops were not his fault, Ewers kept putting the football on the ground.

So how does this fall back on Texas? Well, none of it is good. Either Ewers' former head coach Steve Sarkisian kept a better and more talented quarterback on the bench in Arch Manning, or Manning looked even worse than Ewers in practice... It is an impossible paradigm to address, one that may come up if Texas does not get it done in Week 1 vs. the defending national champions in Ohio State.

I am more convinced than ever this could be one of the worst seasons in recent memory for Miami.

Keep in mind that Texas was ranked above Ohio State for the No. 1 sport in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Quinn Ewers' NFL struggles only add more confusion to Texas Longhorns

Look. I am willing to eat some crow on this. I thought Ewers had the potential to look the part in Mike McDaniel's NFL offense with Miami. He may have a better showing in either of the next two preseason games, but there appear to be reasons why the former No. 1 overall high school recruit was the 13th quarterback taken last spring. Ewers does not offer the athleticism to be a high-end NFL prospect...

As for what this means for Miami, the Dolphins better hope Tagovailoa does not get hurt again or that Wilson finally matures into the player the New York Jets thought he could be back in the day coming out of BYU. Any of these outlooks do not feel promising for the Dolphins this season. As for what this means for Texas, the Manning under center can no longer be shrouded in secrecy. Can the guy play?

Frankly, I am of the belief Manning will eventually prove his worth in Austin, but not right away. There are growing pains to be had. Everyone in his family seems to be well aware of that, and you should be, too. It is the reason why having Manning listed as a first-round quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft is utter lunacy. He is not coming out! Manning will have his day in the sun one day, but not immediately.

Overall, if Manning does shine very quickly in his first year as the starter at Texas, then this growing narrative is not going to go away. What if Manning was already the better quarterback on Texas' roster last season? Did Sarkisian's stubbornness and commitment to Ewers get in the way of him winning his first national title? To be honest, I thought Texas was too flawed at quarterback with either player...

Ultimately, Ewers' injury-prone nature, lack of athleticism and questionable in-game, decision-making processes were always going to get him in trouble. He did at one point in time have a howitzer of a right arm. Lest we never forget that. As for Manning, he was way more of a runner than a thrower last season. When he went up against quality competition, he would always tuck it and run for short gains.

The only way out of this is for Manning to grow as a passer and win a national title before he turns pro.

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