Tua can Start for Now; Ewers Should Start at QB from Thanksgiving On

And that quarterback may be in-house already in Quinn Ewers. Do I think Ewers is that guy? I don’t know, but if I had to bet a buck, I would lean no. But I have been wrong before, and more importantly than my dopey opinion, the Dolphins organization needs to find out for sure. If Ewers is that guy, Miami, with its Top 3 pick, can then draft an offensive tackle, edge rusher, cornerback, wide receiver, etc. Or, trade down and get more picks and select the best player available at a position other than quarterback. But, if Ewers isn’t that guy, and letting him start six games will give you a good idea if he is or not, then you hyper-focus on the quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, knowing you need to land one. LaNorris Sellers, Fernando Mendoza, and Dante Moore are the names that will be in play more than likely at the Top of the 2026 draft. It’s the same reason the Browns traded Joe Flacco, because they wanted to play Dillon Gabriel now to find out about him, and are weeks away from playing Shedur Sanders to see what he is and to determine if either is their quarterback of the future. I know looking to the Browns as the beacon of how to run an organization isn’t ideal, but in this case, they are taking the right approach. And the Dolphins are in a similar situation. Miami needs to decide whether to go all in and land one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 draft, because in this league, there are two types of teams. Teams that have a quarterback, and teams that don’t. Right now, Miami falls into the category of teams that don’t have a quarterback. And if you are one of those teams, you’re essentially spinning your wheels in the mud, going nowhere. And don’t give me this BS that “well, the team is more than a QB away.” Duh, tell me something I don’t know. But do you think rookie quarterbacks are NFL-ready from day 1? You want them to take their lumps and learn on the job as the team rebuilds and gets back on track. Therefore, when the team is ready to compete, they are ready too. Find your quarterback, build around him. Every other position is much easier to fill. Yeah, I know we tried this approach once, and it has clearly failed, but that doesn’t mean you stop trying. The approach was correct in 2020; the execution is what failed. But before the Dolphins and whoever the general manager/head coach is in 2026 jump into the draft and look at the quarterbacks, they need to see if Quinn Ewers is the quarterback of the future. Although the general manager and head coach are not here yet, and we have no idea who they will be, the organization can still set them up for success by playing Ewers and gathering tape on him during regular-season games. I know the optics of benching a $200 million quarterback are bad. I know the message it sends to the rest of the team when you bench a $200 million quarterback is bad. But we also have to face a reality: Tua is not the long-term answer at quarterback. The first chance they can escape his contract and move on, they are! This Dolphins roster is getting blown up after the season. How many of these players will still be here a year from now? Answer: NOT MANY! So, I’m less concerned about the message it sends to a roster of players, most of whom will likely be gone by next year. I’m less concerned about optics at this point because Tua’s reputation in Miami and around the league has been sealed. Everyone has made up their mind on him at this point. There is a 6-year sample size on Tua, and a clear regression in his play. Nothing is going to change anyone’s opinion on him, whether he is benched or playing. Tua’s time is over with the Dolphins, one way or another. It’s time to give the keys to someone else and see if they can be “HIM,” as the kids say. And if that guy (Ewers) is not HIM, then at least we know, and the new powers that be know they have to go out and find the guy who is HIM.