Sports

Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 15: Can Ewers Excel If Needed?

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated July 11, 2026 11:06 AM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (14) throws a pass before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the 2025 season finale. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Dolphins will head into training camp at the end of July with a totally different roster than the one that ended the 2025 season after an offseason overhaul that saw the departure of several significant veterans and the arrival of newcomers young and old.

The Dolphins have 91 players on their roster with the exemption they have for England-born rookie tight end Seydou Traore, a participant of the International Player Pathway Program.

As life goes in the NFL, not every player on the roster is equal, so we decided to rank all of them in terms of their importance to the Dolphins' success in the 2026 season. The list was determined on the basis of not just ability but also expected role and significance to the overall progress of the organization as it continues the rebuilding project that began with the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM and Jeff Hafley as head coach.

This is part of a series that will run in the lead-up to start of training camp.

NUMBER 15: QB QUINN EWERS

How he joined the Dolphins

The Dolphins selected Ewers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft with the 231st overall pick. Ewers was selected with the Dolphins' own pick in the round before they added DT Zeek Biggers with a compensatory pick.

Contract status

Ewers is heading into the second year of the four-year, $4.3 million rookie contract that included a $131,000 signing bonus. He's under contract through the 2028 season.

His 2025 season

Ewers appeared in four games for the Dolphins after overtaking free agent acquisition Zach Wilson as the top backup to Tua Tagovailoa and started the final three games after head coach Mike McDaniel decided to bench Tua after Miami was eliminated from playoff contention. In those three starts - against Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and New England - Ewers completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 622 yards with three touchdowns, three interceptions and a passer rating of 85.5. His best outing came in Week 17 against the Buccaneers when he passed for two touchdowns and had a 118.0 passer rating in a 20-17 victory, though his passing yardage total (172) was modest.

His projected role

If things work out the way the Dolphins hope, Ewers won't see the field in a regular season game in 2026 unless it's in mop-up duty. But there are no guarantees with Malik Willis, whether it's about what kind of starting quarterback he can be or whether he can stay healthy given the fact he's likely to be running quite a bit more than any quarterback in a while. Ewers showed in his appearances last year that he's got a chance at becoming at least a solid backup in the NFL, but the hope obviously is there's more to his game than that. It will be up to Ewers to start proving it if he's called upon at any point in 2026.

THE PREVIOUS PLAYERS ON THE COUNTDOWN

90. G James Ester

89. T Kevin Cline

88. QB Mark Gronowski

87. DT Keith Cooper Jr.

86. EDGE Seth Coleman

85. RB Anthony Hankerson

84. WR Donaven McCulley

83. FB D.J. Herman

82. C Jim Bonitas

81. LS Tucker Addington

80. DT Alex Huntley

79. T Marques Cox

78. EDGE Rodney McGraw

77. TE Cole Turner

76. DT Khalil Saunders

75. CB Miles Battle

74. S Major Burns

73. RB Carlos Washington Jr.

72. EDGE Robert Beal Jr.

71. WR A.J. Henning

70. RB Donovan Edwards

69. DB Omar Brown

68. EDGE Cameron Goode

67. WR Jalen Reagor

66. EDGE Max Llewellyn

65. WR Terrace Marshall Jr.

64. CB Ethan Robinson

63. G/T Josh Priebe

62. DT Rene Konga

61. WR Tahj Washington

60. QB Cam Miller

59. CB A.J. Green III

58. EDGE Mason Reiger

57. CB Alex Austin

56. P Bradley Pinion

55. LB Jackson Woodard

54. K Zane Gonzalez

53. S Louis Moore

52. DT Matthew Butler

51. CB Marco Wilson

50. CB Darrell Baker Jr.

49. LB Ronnie Harrison Jr.

48. T Charlie Heck

47. WR Chris Bell

46. CB Storm Duck

45. WR Theo Wease Jr.

44. TE Seydou Traore

43. G DJ Campbell

42. G/C Andrew Meyer

41. K Riley Patterson

40. S Michael Taaffe

39. CB Ethan Bonner

38. TE Ben Sims

37. EDGE David Ojabo

36. S Lonnie Johnson Jr.

35. Zayne Anderson

34. EDGE Josh Uche

33. WR Jalen Tolbert

32. EDGE/LB Trey Moore

31. LB Willie Gay Jr.

30. RB Jaylen Wright

29. WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

28. G Jonah Savaiinaea

27. DT Zeek Biggers

26. LB Kyle Louis

25. RB Ollie Gordon II

24. WR Tutu Atwell

23. G/T Jamaree Salyer

22. WR Malik Washington

21. DT Jordan Phillips

20. WR Caleb Douglas

19. LB Jacob Rodriguez

18. CB Jason Marshall Jr.

17. S Dante Trader Jr.

16. TE Will Kacmarek

Today's best reads

This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM.