South Beach Exit: 2026 Dolphins Move On from Former Texas Longhorn
The Miami Dolphins are trading away the former seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a swap of day three picks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced this afternoon. Ewers, who has struggled throughout this training camp and preseason, made four appearances last season, throwing for 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. The former Texas Longhorn was also injured during the Dolphins’ first preseason game against the Washington Commanders. To say this was a surprise is a bit of an understatement, even with his subpar play throughout the past four weeks. More importantly, what should Dolphins fans expect from the quarterback room behind Malik Willis, and what does this mean for Ewers and the Jaguars for the 2026 season?
What Does This Mean for Ewers and the Jaguars?
Even though the trade was a bit surprising from Miami, I think a change of scenery was written on the wall for the Texas native. The former top-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class struggled on the field both during the regular season and preseason for the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Liam Coen and the Jaguars are adding a young piece to their quarterback room that could fight for the QB2 spot with Nick Mullens. Ewers is also under contract through the 2028 season, so if Coen and company can get the former second-team All-SEC and second-team All-Big 12 quarterback back to that level, then he’ll serve as a quality backup for Jacksonville.
Could Miami Stay In-House for QB2?
Currently, the Dolphins have Cam Miller and Mark Gronkowski on the roster behind Willis at quarterback. To put it lightly, if either of those guys must play major snaps this season, that should be reason enough for Dolphins fans to find the remote and change it to a different game as fast as possible. That’s how bad both players have looked throughout this preseason. Miller is currently completing 48.1% of his passes and has thrown for 131 yards in two games. Gronkowski looks a little bit better, completing half of his passes for 97 yards in the Dolphins' 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason finale, but it’s still lackluster, to say the least. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan look outside the building to find his QB2 for the season.
Who are the Options Out-of-House?
Some of the top free agent names currently available at quarterback for the Dolphins are Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo. Neither guy would be overly expensive for the Dolphins to sign, more than likely sending over the veteran league minimum or something along those lines to either veteran. What also wouldn’t surprise me is if the Dolphins traded for a backup quarterback, someone like Browns QB Dillion Gabriel. He’d be an immediate upgrade over both Gronkowski and Miller. At the very least, he has some production in the preseason with his three-touchdown performance in the first half of Cleveland’s final preseason game. I could also see Sullivan testing the waters on the Titans’ Will Levis. I know his track record of meme-worthy moments trumps his play on the field, but he’s a young quarterback who was considered to be one of the better prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, selected 33rd overall.
