Kelly: Ewers isn’t competing to be Dolphins’ starting QB, but maybe he should | Opinion
There’s a popular saying in the church community that goes “favor isn’t fair.”
It refers to God creating blessing, and opening doors for his believers, showing the faithful favoritism.
But the saying can also apply in the traditional sense, explaining that favoritism, and biases, are a part of life, society, business and sport, and everyone must find a way to play the hand they are dealt.
Quinn Ewers is doing just that with the Miami Dolphins, which started him for the final three games of the 2025 season as Tua Tagovailoa’s replacement.
Instead of doubling down on the investment placed into Ewers, the Dolphins signed Malik Willis, a career backup with six NFL starts, to a three-year, $67.5 million deal, which features $45 million in guaranteed money, and has had him entrenched into the starting role for his new team all offseason.
Willis was handpicked by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, who each worked with him in Green Bay, so he’s being given every opportunity to cement himself into the starting role.
That means Ewers, a 2025 seventh-round pick, is fighting an uphill battle to even the playing field, no matter how impressive he has looked in organized team activities and Miami’s minicamp practices, which will wrap up next week.
And for the record, Ewers’ game has shown significant growth.
There are some days he has outperformed Willis in the sessions the media has watched.
“In the last three days you’ve seen Quinn take the next step of, ‘I’m owning what this is right now. Let me take advantage of what I already know. Let me play what I see, and play with convicted,” offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said, succinctly describing Ewers’ quick trigger and bold throws, which is what had made his performances stand out this offseason.
“I would ask him to do the same thing as we keep going through camp. Play disciplined. Stick to the fundamentals as often as we can, and then react to what we see,” Slowik continued. “A lot of times when he just goes and plays and reacts, he does a lot of good stuff.”
We’re talking about throws that are out his hand before receivers make their break, and passes placed between two defenders, threading the needle.
So far Ewers looks like a quarterback who is taking the next step, and a contributing factor to that is that there’s carryover between the offense he learned last season under Mike McDaniel and the one Slowik is installing since they come from the same west coast offensive tree.
While the terminology isn’t identical, and plenty of the concepts are different, Ewers admits he has a solid grasp on the foundation, and that has allowed him to make quicker decisions.
“I’m not swimming anymore so that’s nice. We’re finally able to tread water a little bit,” said Ewers, who won one of the three games he started, throwing for 622 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. “I get a full NFL offseason to hone in on some of the smaller details. I don’t have to worry so much about learning each and every play because I feel comfortable enough now that I know I can focus on other things, like keys and tells from the defense. I feel like my game is really starting to improve.”
From Ewers’ standpoint, he’s getting himself ready for when opportunity — whether through injury, coaches decision, or lackluster play from Willis — presents itself.
That’s the role of a backup quarterback, and one Ewers, who held off Arch Manning when the two highly touted high school quarterbacks were at the University of Texas together, is forced to accept.
“I want Quinn to continue to get better and battle and compete, and do everything he can to show us that he’s the best quarterback on the field,” Hafley said. “I want everybody at every position to do that. Quinn’s done a nice job. He’s got familiarity with some of the schemes, and I think he’s gotten better.
“He’s smart,” Hafley continued. “Just standing back there from a defensive perspective, he knows where to go with the football. He gets rid of it on time. He sees the defenses really well.”
But will he be given a chance to challenge Willis for the starting role in 2026?
The odds, and finances committed to Willis, definitely aren’t in Willis’ favor.
