Quinn Ewers report card in his second Miami Dolphins start

Story by

Joe Schad, Palm Beach Post

Sun, Dec 28, 2025 ·

3 min read

MIAMI GARDENS ― Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers made his second NFL start, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium.

Ewers is a 7th-round pick from Texas. Ewers replaced benched franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa . Ewers was dueling with fellow Texan Baker Mayfield of Tampa Bay .

The Dolphins beat the Bucs , 20-17, as Ewers outplayed the veteran Mayfield.

Ewers had two touchdowns, no interceptions and played with confidence.

The Dolphins and Bucs are both 7-9.

Here is a report card for Quinn Ewers

Quinn Ewers Report Card for Miami Dolphins

Ewers clearly wants to take some downfield shots, to show off his fairly strong arm. Coaches believe he has the arm to make all the required throws. He should enable Miami to stretch the field in a way it has not recently.
Ewers' yards per attempt is clearly going to be higher than Tagovailoa's was.

Grade:B

Ewers was inaccurate on a deep middle attempt to Malik Washington on third down that was tipped away by a Bucs defender.
Ewers was too long on a deep attempt for Washington on second down.
Ewers had very good ball placement on a swing screen to De'Von Achane. Screens to Achane can be big plays so accuracy on those plays is essential.
Ewers showed nice touch on a red-zone touchdown pass to tight end Greg Dulcich . Having the ability to use different ball speeds is helpful.
Ewers overthrew Darren Waller but hung in the pocket and took a shot.

Grade:B-

Ewers avoided a sack after a play-action and fired a nice pass to Dulcich over the middle for 24 yards.
Ewers flipped the ball forward to Dulcich but it was broken up by a Bucs defenders. It was a bit of a scary moment.

Grade:B

Ewers orchestrated some designed roll-outs and he appears comfortable operating in a moving pocket. His adequate mobility and strong arm are beneficial. Again, Ewers is not a speedster or a burner but he can move in and around the pocket in a suitable fashion.

Grade:B

Ewers calmly delivered the ball to a wide-open Theo Wease about 25 yards down the field, allowing Wease to take off for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Ewers looks pretty polished when executing the play-action pass game. It's likely because he's got a ton of experience at the high school and college level. Ewers had 36 games played at Texas and one at Ohio State.
Ewers did a roll-out in his own end zone and calmly hit Julian Hill for 16 yards in the fourth quarter.

Grade:B+

Ewers has exceeded overall expectations in his first two starts.

He does not look at all like a typical 7th-rounder. What does it mean? Well it could mean Miami has found its top-notch backup of the future.

Or, it could mean more. Standby for more. It's a good reason to watch the Dolphins' season-ending game at the Patriots .

Grade: B

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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post . You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe . Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter . Help support our work by subscribing today.