ClutchPoints
Miami’s quarterback reset is officially underway, and it’s getting awkward fast. After Dan Orlovsky backed the idea of starting Quinn Ewers down the stretch following the Dolphins’ Monday night elimination, Miami has now put real action behind that kind of thinking by handing the rookie the ball with the season already off the rails.
As Mike Garafolo reported, the Dolphins paid Zach Wilson $6 million to back up Tua Tagovailoa, but it’s Ewers, the seventh-rounder who flashed in camp and the preseason, who will start against the Bengals on Sunday.
Garafolo framed it plainly: this is Ewers’ chance to make a statement and argue he should be the guy moving forward. That’s a brutal look for Wilson, because even if the plan was always “insurance,” you don’t pay $6 million for insurance and then grab the bargain option when the emergency actually hits.
The move also fits the timeline Orlovsky was talking about. With three games left and nothing meaningful to chase, Miami’s smartest play is information. If Ewers can function, protect the ball, and show something the staff can build on, it changes the offseason conversation.
If he can’t, the Dolphins still get clarity, and clarity is the only thing worth banking right now.
Of course, the larger trap remains the money tied to Tagovailoa. Adam Schefter’s contract math explains why benching Tua is easy, but moving on cleanly is not. Tua already has $54 million guaranteed in 2026, and $3 million of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed on March 15.
Cutting him would leave $99 million in dead money, while a post-June 1 cut would still be $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. That’s why this pivot to Ewers isn’t just a “spark” move, it’s a leverage one. Miami needs options, even if they’re imperfect, and that’s the sting for Zach Wilson.
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