‘Open-minded.’ Dolphins coach McDaniel defines a franchise quarterback
The quarterback question will be one heavily debated in Miami Dolphins circles for the entire offseason.
On one hand, there’s the NFL’s highest-paid backup in Tua Tagovailoa. On the other, there’s the rookie Quinn Ewers, who tossed two touchdowns en route to his first win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Another option remains — the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft — yet there’s no guarantee that the Dolphins go that route.
When Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was asked how to develop a franchise quarterback, he gave a rather insightful answer.
“You’re taking into consideration all athletic skill sets as well as if the guy’s going to be able to handle the heat because there’s a lot of heat on that position,” coach Mike McDaniel said after the 20-17 victory. “Then you’re just open-minded. You realistically can’t have enough quarterbacks. There are a lot of different ways to find a franchise quarterback, and one of the ways is playing football games and seeing what a guy can do.”
Three words stand out: “you’re just open-minded.” That could have several meanings. The franchise guy could already be on the team. The franchise guy could be in the draft. The franchise guy could even be currently on another team.
“When you draft a quarterback, you’re thinking in terms of you don’t want a ceiling,” McDaniel said. “You want open-ended, like does he have the things that you need to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League? And you’re hoping that develops any time you draft any quarterback.”
It’s unlikely that the Dolphins thought they would have their 2025 seventh-round pick to start at quarterback in Week 18. Odds are, Ewers likely didn’t either. Like any person with their childhood dreams within their grasp, however, the rookie wants to just enjoy the moment.
“It’s what I always dreamed of is playing in this league at the highest level in this position, and it’s special whenever you’ve got a group of guys like we do this year,” Ewers said. “We’re not playing for a Super Bowl, so I thought we did a really good job of coming out here and playing for each other and playing for our last names and playing for the organization.”
That’s not to say Ewers doesn’t think he doesn’t have a shot. He’s a team-first guy for sure — yet he did let it slip that he wouldn’t mind an extended run into 2026.
“To be honest, I’m not really thinking about that right now,” Ewers said prior to the Bucs game. “I’m just trying to continue to go out there on the field and to win every single rep that I get allowed to be out there and continue to build relationships with these guys out there on the field. At the end of the day, whatever happens, happens; but I hope to put myself in a position for sure to be in the mix whenever the time comes.”
If Sunday’s no-look pass, 25-yard flick and emerging on-field swagger were signs of what’s to come, good days lie ahead. If it was an outlier, then it’s best to just enjoy the moment.
“It’s a different level of obligation when you have possession of the ball, and you’re entrusted with it, particularly on a team that our [turnover margin] is gigantically skewed in favor of us in our wins and the opposite in our losses,” McDaniel said. “I think he has a natural way of playing the position where he understands ripping what he sees is how he got the opportunity in the first place. Easier said than done, but yeah typically you see rookie quarterbacks be a lot later to things just because the moment is significant. But I think that’s one of the reasons he’s a galvanizer and guys are drawn to him is because he is very calm, cool and collected in the orchestration of the quarterback position from play call to execution of play.”
This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 10:32 AM.
