Dolphins face decision on Ewers: His thoughts. And Rucci claimed, Marshall news
Mike McDaniel made clear on Monday that Tua Tagovailoa will be judged by whether he helps lead the Dolphins to wins.
So is there a scenario where Quinn Ewers could get a chance this season? There’s a time and place to ask McDaniel that question, and now — with Miami winning four of five and sitting on the fringes of playoff contention — isn’t the time, if you’re expecting any kind of substantive answer.
(When I asked earlier this season about whether Tagovailoa would remain the starter, McDaniel said he still gives Miami the best chance to win, and that will always fuel any quarterback decision.)
The view here: If Tagovailoa struggles in a loss, Miami should give Ewers at least one start to get a better sense of what they have.
For his part, Ewers — in a conversation last month at his locker — said he’s unaware of the sentiment of some fans who want to see him get a chance to start a few games this season.
“I don’t find it as very fruitful to look at opinions outside of these four walls,” Ewers said, noting he doesn’t go out much and isn’t recognized when he does. “The fans don’t see what’s going on here.”
Will he be disappointed if he doesn’t get a chance to play again this season, after one previous mop-up appearance in a loss to Cleveland?
“I won’t be disappointed if I don’t see the field,” he said. “I’ll be happy if I get to play. That’s what I wanted my entire life. It’s not something where I’m going to be all upset if I don’t get to play.”
He appreciated the chance to serve as the No. 2 quarterback a single time this season; he completed five of eight passes for 53 yards in that game against the Browns.
“I think it’s a good thing that Mike did,” quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell said of that one week this season when Ewers was No. 2 and Zach Wilson was No. 3 on the depth chart. “It keeps you on your toes. It keeps you competing. It makes you feel like the things that you’re doing are valid and are worthwhile and you’re not going through the motions and doesn’t let you get complacent. So I think it was a good shakeup.”
Where is he a better quarterback today than when he arrived?
“Anticipation,” Ewers said.
What does Bevell stress with him?
“It’s such a timing offense we play in,” Ewers said. “I’m continuing to work hard on my footwork for every play. There are a lot of different setups, different footwork for each play.”
Bevell said last week that “Quinn’s doing a really good job. He’s working every day to get better, one, within our offense and then he’s getting reps on the scout team. We kind of switch up with [backup] Zach [Wilson] and Quinn for the reps on the scout team.
“Both those guys are doing a great job. There’s good competition between them. At the end of the week, I sit down and watch Quinn’s reps that he’s had and make sure that he’s getting coached, that it’s not just he’s taking these plays and we’re never watching them again.”
Ewers, who has been the Dolphins’ No. 3 quarterback for the past five games, expressed appreciation for all that Tagovailoa and Wilson have done to help him. He also admires the Rams’ Matt Stafford from a distance.
“I grew up watching Stafford play,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I modeled my game after him. He plays the position the right way and is a good guy to watch. All younger quarterbacks should watch how he plays. He does it the right way.”
This and that
▪ The Detroit Lions claimed tight end Hayden Rucci off waivers, scuttling any hope of Rucci returning to the Dolphins’ practice squad.
Miami promoted him to the active roster on Nov. 8 but released him on Saturday to make room for Darren Waller, who had been on injured reserve.
His departure is unfortunate, because Miami loved his run blocking.
“Being with Sean Payton, we want guys who love the weight room and love the process,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said last week. “He has a physicality and tenacity to him, which was evident in the preseason watching his run blocking. If you play tight end and love blocking, it will show up and find a way to get on the field.”
Offensive lineman Kion Smith, who was waived last week when Austin Jackson came off injured reserve, signed with the Dolphins’ practice squad on Tuesday. Guard Braeden Daniels was released from the practice squad.
▪ With Minkah Fitzpatrick handling nickel duties against New Orleans, it’s unclear if fifth-round rookie cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. will get another chance this season. (He played four defensive snaps against the Saints.)
After winning the nickel corner job in preseason, he allowed the first seven targets in his coverage area to be caught, then missed six weeks after a Week 3 hamstring injury.
There have been promising signs since, including a good play in coverage and a run stop against Washington.
One change: He’s no longer nervous when he takes the field.
In the opener at the Colts and his second game, “I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m here now. Kind of felt a little bit of nerves. Now I’m back to just playing football.”
Was it easy to get dispirited early in the year? “That’s what comes with this position,” he said. “I’m playing the best of the best every week. I’m going to give up catches. The key is just not being too down on myself and moving on the next play.”
He said moving between boundary corner — his position at UF — and slot cornerback has “not been a challenge. I’ve got my teammates behind me, the coaches behind me.”
He said he could see himself playing slot long-term. “Coming into the league that’s what I wanted to be, learning multiple positions, being versatile.” He said his “aggressiveness” helps him at nickel.
Cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo said “it’s most natural for him to play on the outside. We asked him to do a lot moving inside because we needed it -- because we had a lot of injuries -- and moving him around has been to get him on the field. He’s done a phenomenal job.
“Early on, we made it hard on him by moving him inside. Some of those plays, he’s playing in space that he’s never really played in before. All of that was experience. That built his confidence. Now he’s comfortable.”
Marshall said Fitzpatrick has taken him under his wing and Fitzpatrick has shown him how to watch him.
“Jason Marshall said that because I’ve played a lot of nickel in this league already,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve played it a whole lot in this system. We both learned the nickel spot in this system together. As an older guy, it’s important to take guys under your wing and show them how to he a pro.”
Here are more Dolphins personnel tidbits.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM.
