After the preseason, the Miami Dolphins have been busy addressing their roster concerns.
Following an offseason in which the Dolphins decided to reset their salary cap and take on the most dead cap in the NFL in 2026, the team struggling to fill out their roster was not surprising.
However, perhaps what happened with the quarterback position is surprising. After the 2025 season concluded, it was evident that the Dolphins would move on from Tua Tagovailoa as he was benched for the final three games. Meanwhile, seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers performed well as Tagovailoa’s replacement in those three games, leading some to believe he might be the quarterback of the future or at the very least a very strong backup.
Now, without having played another regular season snap for the Dolphins, the team has moved on from Quinn Ewers and the general manager has spoken as to why that occurred.
Miami Dolphins General Manager Shares Reason Behind Quinn Ewers Trade
Following Miami’s busy weekend where they finalized their 53-man roster and added seven players via the waiver wire, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spoke about why the Miami Dolphins traded backup quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sullivan said: “I wish Quinn the best. I think Quinn has an opportunity to play in this league for a while and do well, I think he needed a fresh start. I think we needed a fresh start. And I just think it – look, this is a performance-based business, and it was not getting done at the level that it needed to get done at. Quinn knew that, we had a lot of conversations. I think Quinn, if he was standing right here, would tell you that. I just think it was time to kind of move on, him get another fresh start and us start fresh with somebody else as well.”
Last season in three regular season starts, Ewers went 50-for-75 with 569 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, totaling an 85.9 passer rating.
Meanwhile, as Sullivan referenced, Ewers struggled this offseason which led to him losing his job as Miami’s backup. In his lone preseason appearance, Ewers went 1-for-8 with 27 passing yards and an interception with a 1.6 passer rating.
New Dolphins Backup
Following Miami trading Ewers, the team acquired Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers, after he had a strong preseason with Green Bay.
Sullivan said of McCord: “I’ve always been a fan of his. I feel like when you watch the kid play, he’s a keep the train on the tracks kind of guy. I think he processes the game quick. I think he throws an accurate catchable football. He runs the offense, and I know he’s a smart guy. I know he’s a competitive guy. Scouted him in college, obviously followed him and tracked him through the preseason, and I thought he had an opportunity to come in here. We obviously want No. 2 (Malik Willis) out there, but if something happened, I thought he could run the offense and help give us a chance to win games.”
Dolphins GM Sends Strong Message to QB Quinn Ewers After Trade