‘Did Not Love His College Tape,’ Greg Cosell Sees a Different Quinn Ewers After Rookie Starts With Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins did not spend the offseason merely replacing a quarterback. They reshaped the entire terms of the position. Tua Tagovailoa’s six-year run as Miami’s starter ended after the 2025 season, leaving a roster that had spent years built around his timing, accuracy and rapid-release game without its central figure.

The Dolphins responded by signing Malik Willis in free agency, but the former Green Bay Packers quarterback arrived to an already overloaded depth chart. Quinn Ewers, the seventh-round pick from Texas who started Miami’s final three games in 2025, remains on the roster and enters camp with live-game experience in the offense.

Willis has the stronger NFL resume and the larger financial commitment. Ewers has the institutional familiarity, a productive three-start sample and a skill set that veteran evaluator Greg Cosell believes fits the structure of Miami’s offense. Ewers entered the NFL with a profile that had shifted dramatically from his high school recruitment.

He had been one of the country’s most celebrated quarterback prospects before beginning his college career at Ohio State and then transferring to Texas, where he became a three-year starter for Steve Sarkisian. Texas reached the College Football Playoff semifinals in each of Ewers’ final two seasons, but his evaluation remained uneven because of injuries, missed throws and questions about his consistency from the pocket.

1. Greg Cosell Is Backing Quinn Ewers

Cosell, the longtime NFL Films analyst and executive producer, evaluated Ewers’ college work skeptically. His criticism centered on the tape itself rather than the player’s recruiting pedigree or Texas’ team results. Ewers dealt with injuries during his college career, including shoulder and ankle issues, but the NFL projection still came down to whether he consistently made high-level throws and processed the field efficiently. He revisited the quarterback’s three starts and saw a more refined version of the player than the one he had evaluated at Texas. The traits Cosell highlighted, i.e., timing and anticipation, are especially relevant in an offense that has long asked its quarterback to deliver the ball before routes fully declare.

2. Quinn Ewers’ Late-Season Surge Could Disrupt Miami’s Quarterback Plans

Miami selected Ewers with the 231st overall pick in the 2025 draft, the seventh round, and the final day of the process. The Dolphins had Tagovailoa entrenched as the starter, and Zach Wilson signed as the backup, making Ewers a developmental addition rather than an immediate answer. He opened the season third on the depth chart and was inactive before moving ahead of Wilson during the season. His first NFL action came in Cleveland in Week 7, when he replaced Tagovailoa late in a loss to the Browns. Ewers completed five of eight passes for 53 yards, though he was sacked twice. The more meaningful evaluation window came later, after Miami turned to him for the final three games of the season. Ewers started against Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and New England. Across those three starts, he completed 50 of 75 passes for 569 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. His strongest statistical performance came against Tampa Bay, when he completed 14 of 22 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 118.0 passer-rating outing. The final numbers were not definitive enough to settle Miami’s long-term quarterback question. They were enough to establish that Ewers could operate the offense in live situations, make timing throws, and avoid looking overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL game. For a player drafted 231st overall, that was a meaningful development.

3. The High-Stakes QB Battle Between Malik Willis and Quinn Ewers is a Fight for the Future of Miami

Willis arrives with a different kind of leverage. Unlike Ewers, he has already navigated multiple NFL systems, started regular-season games and spent time in a quarterback room with a franchise built around development. The Tennessee Titans selected Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft, and his early career included a difficult rookie season in which he was pressed into action on a roster transitioning away from its peak. His career changed course after Tennessee traded him to Green Bay before the 2024 season. Willis spent that year behind Jordan Love and was called upon when Love was injured early in the season. He started two games for the Packers and helped Green Bay win both, offering a more efficient and controlled version of his game than he had shown in Tennessee. The Packers’ offense did not ask Willis to become a high-volume dropback passer overnight. It used his mobility, leaned into the run game and built a plan around efficient throws. Still, Willis completed 25 of 33 passes in his two starts that season, throwing for 324 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding rushing value. That stretch helped restore his standing around the league. Willis entered Miami with experience in a system that required him to protect the football, operate within structure and take advantage of the athleticism that made him an intriguing prospect coming out of Liberty. His signing gave the Dolphins a quarterback with more professional snaps and a different set of answers if the offense needs to change shape. Miami’s quarterback room is not simply choosing between a veteran and a rookie. Willis is still developing after an uneven beginning to his career, while Ewers is entering his second season after a late-year audition. Both players are attempting to establish themselves after Miami moved on from Tagovailoa. The contract and experience may give Willis an initial edge, but camp competitions are often decided by the details that emerge over several weeks. How each quarterback handles pressure when the offense is not scripted. Ewers’ late-season tape gives him a credible argument to remain in that conversation.

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