With the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline approaching on Sunday at 6 pm, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a move to add depth at quarterback. On Saturday afternoon, the team announced a trade for Miami Dolphins backup signal-caller Quinn Ewers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Compensation
The cost for the acquisition with the Dolphins will be a 2028 sixth-round draft pick, per the team. They add a low-risk backup option who showed enough in three late-season starts to earn real consideration,
for the cost of a 2028 sixth-round pick that will barely register on the draft capital ledger.
Most importantly, avoiding giving away draft capital in the highly valued 2027 draft was a win for Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, in my book.
The move comes at a natural crossroads for both franchises. Miami, now building around Malik Willis following what was described as the most expensive cut in NFL history in releasing Tua Tagovailoa, had their backup quarterback situation complicated by Ewers’ rough preseason showing and the groin injury that followed. For Jacksonville, the addition raises immediate questions about Nick Mullens’ standing in the quarterback room heading into the season.
Who Is Quinn Ewers?
Ewers, 23, arrived in the NFL as one of the most polarizing draft stories in recent memory. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound quarterback spent one season at Ohio State before transferring to Texas, where he became the face of a program resurgence that produced three seasons, a 33-10 record, two consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff national semifinals, 9,128 passing yards, and 68 touchdowns, per the Houston Chronicle. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023 and second-team All-SEC recognition in 2024, per Pro Football Reference.
Despite that resume, Ewers was not selected until the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 231st overall pick, and final quarterback taken in the draft. He currently has three years remaining on his four-year rookie contract (worth $4.33 million). The draft slide was widely attributed to questions about his arm strength, footwork consistency, and pocket movement against elite competition late in his college career.
2025 Rookie Season
Ewers made the Dolphins’ initial 53-man roster as a rookie, serving behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson. He appeared in four games and made three starts, finishing the season with the following line:
- Completions/Attempts: 55-of-83
- Completion Percentage: 66.3%
- Passing Yards: 622
- Touchdowns: 3
- Interceptions: 3
- Passer Rating: 85.5
His three starts came at the end of the 2025 regular season filling in for Tagovailoa, and handled those opportunities well, showing the decision-making and downfield accuracy that had made him such a highly regarded prospect coming out of Texas. He ended 2025 going 1-2 as a starter, highlighted by a 20-17 victory over Tampa Bay where he went 14 of 22 for 172 yards, with two touchdowns and zero turnovers.
A Difficult 2026
Ewers entered the 2026 offseason with every reason for optimism. He performed well during OTAs and minicamp, drawing positive reviews from the Miami coaching staff and building on the foundation of his late-season 2025 starts. With Miami bringing in Malik Willis to lead the offense the prevailing thought was that Ewers could compete for the backup role or potentially be a dark horse candidate in the race for the starting role.
The preseason, however, did not go as planned. In his Week 1 appearance against the Washington Commanders, Ewers completed just one of eight pass attempts for 27 yards, and threw an interception.
That performance prompted multiple Dolphins analysts to publicly note that a cut was a real possibility. The groin injury that followed effectively sealed his fate in Miami. With Ewers sidelined and unable to appear in the team’s second preseason game, Malik Willis moved decisively into the starting role, and Cam Miller stepped in to handle the third preseason game responsibilities with Willis resting. By the time roster cutdowns arrived, Ewers had become expendable in a Miami quarterback room that no longer needed him.
What This Means for the Jaguars
The most immediate question the trade raises is what it signals for Nick Mullens. Jacksonville’s veteran backup had a reasonably strong preseason, most notably in the team’s Week 2 preseason outing against the Carolina Panthers, where he opened the game completing six of his first seven attempts for 65 yards at a 9.3 yards-per-reception clip. He then wrapped up week three going five of seven for 62 yards. Whether Mullens retains the No. 2 spot, slides to No. 3 behind Ewers, or finds himself a surprise casualty of the trade is a question the Jaguars will answer when they finalize their 53-man roster over the next day. What is clear is that Jacksonville now has a 23-year-old developmental quarterback with legitimate upside, and multiple years to grow into the system.
What’s Next?
The Jaguars will have two weeks to begin the acclimation period for Ewers, giving them plenty of time to work on the new quarterback, and get him up to speed before the season begins.
The NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown deadline is Sunday and the Jaguars open the 2026 regular season at home against the Cleveland Browns on September 13th.
