Tua Tagovailoa Drops Surprising Praise: Is Quinn Ewers the Next Big Thing?

Over the past couple of seasons under Mike McDaniel’s watchful eye, Miami’s Dolphins have found themselves juggling an unusual rollercoaster at the quarterback spot—starting three different signal-callers more than once. Now, toss into the mix Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round pick from Texas who—let’s be real—has a better shot than most rookies to see the field this season. Sitting behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson, Ewers is quietly making waves in the QB room. Tua himself couldn’t help but gush about the newcomer’s grind and development during a recent press chat—calling Ewers a guy who’s soaking up knowledge from every meeting and practice rep like a sponge. Miami’s hopes ride on Tua staying healthy for all 17 games—a feat he’s only managed once so far—which means Wilson and Ewers will need to step up if the situation calls for it. It’s a high-stakes juggling act, and the Dolphins’ quarterback room is evolving right before our eyes. LEARN MORE

“I think Quinn has been balling,” Tagovailoa said, via transcript from the team. “I think he’s been buying into what he’s been told in the quarterback room and then things that he’s taken from the meeting rooms. With Mike’s meetings, ‘Slow’s’ [senior passing game specialist Bobby Slowik] meetings, and ‘Bev’s’ [QBs coach/pass game coordinator Darrell Bevell] meetings, and he’s been able to take that out here on the practice field. He’s been doing really well.So while Quinn Ewers may have been drafted in the seventh round this year out of Texas, the odds of him starting a game as a rookie are much higher than zero as Miami’s third QB behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson. The Dolphins have started three quarterbacks in two of head coach Mike McDaniel’s seasons with the club. Ideally, Tagovailoa will be able to play all 17 games as he did in 2023 when the Dolphins finished 11-6 and made the postseason. But that was the only time in Tagovailoa’s career that he’s made it through the season healthy. Because of that, Wilson and Ewers have to be ready to come in and take over if necessary.“I think Zach has been doing pretty good as well, and they’ll continue to work. They’ll continue to get me better, I’ll continue to get those guys better, and continue to help that room grow.”In his Wednesday press conference, Tagovailoa spoke highly of Ewers’ progress since joining the team in the spring.