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After benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, head coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins turned to rookie Quinn Ewers. His NFL debut against the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t go to plan, as the Dolphins fell 45-21.
Still, McDaniel isn’t ready to throw the towel in on Ewers just yet. He’ll have to review the tape, but he is planning on running it back with Ewers in Week 17, via David Furones of the Sun Sentinel.
“Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he has to look at the tape to determine if Quinn Ewers will start next week, but he said that’s how he planned it in his mind,” Furones wrote.
McDaniel admits that there are still areas of Ewers’ game he will need to improve. However, he didn’t think the quarterback was the main reason for Miami losing.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says moment wasn’t too big for Quinn Ewers in assessing his first start. He was furious with how the game unraveled in the second half. pic.twitter.com/MblaGz026G
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) December 21, 2025
“I thought there were some positive stuff going on with this being his first start,” McDaniel said. “It wasn’t too big for him. He had us operating. It was a good starting point for him specifically.”
The Dolphins were down just 17-14 going into the halftime break. However, the Bengals scored 21 points in the third quarter to blow the game wide open. Miami’s second half collapse drew most of McDaniel’s postgame ire.
As for Ewers, he finished his debut completing 20-of-30 passes for 260 scoreless yards and two interceptions. As McDaniel and company watch back the tape, they’ll be looking for specific areas in which Ewers could grow. But barring a sudden change of heart, it seems like chose changes will be made with the idea of Ewers starting in mind.
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