Examining the Backup QB Situation With Wilson Gone

Quarterback Zach Wilson has a new team, officially leaving the Miami Dolphins after one year, 26 snaps and $3.8 million of 2026 dead cap space left behind.

Wilson has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, per multiple reports, for whom he will compete with former draft pick Spencer Rattler for the backup job behind 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough, the runner-up for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

This will be the fourth team in four years for Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, after he played for his original team the New York Jets in 2023, the Denver Broncos in 2024, Dolphins in 2025 and now the Saints.

For the Dolphins, this continues a pattern of one-and-done top backup quarterbacks — or at least players brought in to be the No. 2 QB.

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Wilson follows in the footsteps of Skylar Thompson in 2024, Mike White in 2023, Teddy Bridgewater in 2022 and Jacoby Brissett in 2021 after Ryan Fitzpatrick went from starter in 2019 to backup for Tua Tagovailoa in 2020.

In his one season with the Dolphins, Wilson also lost the No. 2 job for which he was signed when he was supplanted by rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers for the Week 7 game at Cleveland and then at the end of the season after head coach Mike McDaniel decided to bench Tagovailoa following the Week 15 Monday night loss at Pittsburgh.

Wilson ended up appearing in four games for Miami in 2026 and completed 6 of 11 passes in mop-up duty.

It wasn't exactly a great return on investment after the Dolphins gave Wilson a one-year, $6 million contract that included a void year (hence the $3.8 million cap charge) to lower his 2025 salary cap number.

While the figures on Wilson's new contract weren't available as of Wednesday morning, logic suggests it won't come anywhere near $6 million and likely won't be enough to qualify him as a compensatory free agent.

THE NEW DOLPHINS BACKUP QB PICTURE

Even before Wilson signed with New Orleans, the chances of him returning to Miami pretty much were nonexistent after what happened last season.

The Dolphins' current roster features three quarterbacks: Malik Willis, Ewers and late-season addition Cam Miller.

Barring an unexpected development, Ewers figures to serve as the top backup for Willis, who almost certainly will be the starter — because you don't make a $45 million investment over the next two years for somebody you plan on having compete for a job.

The possibility does exist that the Dolphins could add another quarterback through the draft, though the Willis signing, the presence of two young QBs on the roster and the overall quality of the 2026 QB draft class would lead us to believe that Miami just might skip that idea.

It's also not impossible that the Dolphins would prefer a veteran to serve as the backup for Willis, though that would make more sense for an established team with designs on the playoffs or a deep playoff run than for an organization in the midst of a rebuilding project.

So we feel pretty confident at this point saying it will be Ewers as the No. 2 quarterback in 2026.

And no matter what happens there, he'll provide better value than what the Dolphins got out of Wilson, who will try again to revive his career in New Orleans.