The Miami Dolphins are heading into the 2026 NFL season as a clear rebuilding team. But, for such a rebuilding team, the starting quarterback is still of note.

Malik Willis is almost guaranteed to be the starter, barring an injury or some other circumstance impacting the QB competition.

But what about Quinn Ewers, who did show a little bit of intrigue to close out the 2025 season for Miami? Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated revealed what’s likely to become of Ewers on the Dolphins this year, and it’s a bittersweet projection for the former Texas QB.

Quinn Ewers gets bittersweet projection for Dolphins in 2026

“Quinn Ewers has made a nice impression over the past year with his teammates, and I believe enters OTAs as the favorite to be the backup,” Breer writes. “As such, I’d bet he’ll get a lot of run in the preseason games, and maybe toward the end of the season, too, if the Malik Willis-led Dolphins fall out of the race.”

This projection for the Dolphins quarterback position is one that’s bringing both good and bad news for the former Texas Longhorns QB taken in the seventh round in 2025 NFL Draft.

Ewers is firmly behind Willis in the pecking order and might not see any action all season until the last few weeks if things go very south.

But Breer is also suggesting that the Dolphins won’t go out and acquire a backup quarterback to potentially put over Ewers in 2026.

It’s likely to be Willis as the QB1, and then Ewers as the QB2, barring an injury or some other unexpected change. Ewers is likely to be the backup again for the Dolphins, except this time he’s backing up Willis and not Tua Tagovailoa.