How Ewers' First Start Compared with Other Post-Marino QBs

Quinn Ewers made it 27 different starting quarterbacks for the Miami Dolphins since Dan Marino ended his Hall of Fame career.

Ewers joined this list with his first NFL start against the Cincinnati Bengals, earning praise from head coach Mike McDaniel despite an uneven stat line that included two interceptions and a 66.0 passer rating.

“I thought he did for the team as much if not more than could be reasonably expected," head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. "The biggest thing was the idea of starting quarterback in the National Football League, especially with young guys that it’s their first opportunity, you want to see the game not be too big for them. You want to see some composure, some feel, some understanding of time and space. You want to see them be able to hold onto the ball when the pocket allows but to get rid of the ball when the pocket is coming down on you, and I think he – it was impressive. It really showed one of the reasons that guys get behind him and had such high hopes for the game going into it was because the game is not too big for him. You know without that, a guy can’t really perform or allow others to perform, so I thought he gave us a chance to win.”

But how did Ewers' performance compare to those of the other 26 post-Marino starting quarterbacks. Let's revisit all of them before we offer our rankings from 1-27.

THE FIRST START FOR THE 27 POST-MARINO DOLPHINS STARTING QBs

Jay Fiedler, 2000, Week 1, vs. Seattle

Fiedler didn't have to do much in his first game with the Dolphins because the defense was dominant in a 23-0 victory against Seattle. Fiedler completed 15 of 24 passes for 134 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Damon Huard, 2000, Week 13, at Indianapolis

Huard actually had started five games in 1999, so his one start in 2000 in a 17-14 victory against Indianapolis wasn't his first with the Dolphins. Huard finished 22-of-33 for 183 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Ray Lucas, 2002, Week 7, vs. Buffalo

Three years after he went 6-3 as a backup for the Jets, Lucas had a really rough starting debut for the Dolphins. He went 13-for-33 for 165 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in a 24-10 loss against Buffalo.

Brian Griese, 2003, Week 8, vs. San Diego (at Tempe, Arizona)

The son of Dolphins Hall of Famer Bob Griese joined the Dolphins after four seasons as the Denver Broncos starter and he started his first game in Miami in a Monday night October game that had to be switched from San Diego to Tempe, Arizona, because of wildfires in Southern California. Griese was very efficient, completing 20 of 29 passes for 192 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 26-10 victory.

A.J. Feeley, 2004, Week 2, at Cincinnati

After being acquired in the offseason for a second-round pick, Feeley was beaten out for the starting job in training camp by incumbent Jay Fiedler, but replaced him at halftime of the opener. Feeley then started in Week 2, but struggled. He completed 21 of 39 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 16-13 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sage Rosenfels, 2004, Week 17, at Baltimore

In his third NFL season, Rosenfels got his first start in the 2004 season finale against the Baltimore Ravens and went 16-for-38 for 264 with one touchdown and three interceptions in a 30-23 loss.

Gus Frerotte, 2005, Week 1, vs. Denver

Like Fiedler five years earlier, Frerotte had a successful Dolphins debut as he completed 24 of 36 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and one pick in a 34-10 victory against Denver in Nick Saban's debut as head coach and Mike McDaniel's first game in the NFL as a coaching intern for the Broncos.

Daunte Culpepper, 2006, Week 1, at Pittsburgh

Culpepper's nightmarish stint with the Dolphins began with the Thursday season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers that ended in a 28-17 loss. It was a tough night for Culpepper, who was 18-for-37 for 262 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Joey Harrington, 2006, Week 5, at New England

The third overall pick in the 2002 draft, Harrington took over in Week 5 after Culpepper landed on IR, though his first start against New England was forgettable. Harrington was 26-of-41 for 232 yards with no touchdowns and two picks.

Cleo Lemon, 2006, Week 17, at Indianapolis

Acquired in a trade for Feeley in the middle of the season, Lemon got the start in the season finale at Indianapolis and went 18-for-36 for 210 yards with one touchdown and one pick in a 27-22 loss.

Trent Green, 2007, Week 1, at Washington

Green's tenure with the Dolphins came to a painful end when he sustained a season-ending concussion in Week 5, but his performance in his first start actually was solid. Green completed 24 of 38 passes for 219 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, though the Dolphins suffered a 16-13 overtime loss at Washington.

John Beck, 2007, Week 11, at Philadelphia

Beck's career as a second-round pick never took off and it began when he was given his first NFL start in Week 11 at Philadelphia. He completed only 9 of 22 passes for 109 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a 17-7 loss.

Chad Pennington, 2008, Week 1, vs. N.Y. Jets

Pennington had a memorable first season with the Dolphins after arriving in early August and it began with a solid performance at home against the Jets when he completed 26 of 43 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. But his last pass was intercepted in the end zone by Darrelle Revis as the Jets left Miami with a 20-14 victory.

Chad Henne, 2009, Week 4, vs. Buffalo

After Pennington went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 in 2009, the Dolphins made life very easy for Henne the next week against Buffalo. In his first career start, Henne threw for only 115 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-22 passing but the Dolphins still won 38-10.

Tyler Thigpen, 2010, Week 10, vs. Chicago

Thigpen joined the Dolphins as a backup in 2009 after starting 11 games for the Chiefs the previous year. He got his first and only start for the Dolphins in 2010 in Week 10 in a Thursday night game against the Bears and it was a night to forget for him. He was 17-for-29 for 187 yards and one interception and the Dolphins were shut out at home 16-0.

Matt Moore, 2011, Week 6, at N.Y. Jets

Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Moore became the starter after Henne sustained a season-ending injury at San Diego in Week 4. Moore's first start came in a Monday night game against the Jets after a bye, but it didn't go well as he went 16-for-34 for 204 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 24-6 loss.

Ryan Tannehill, 2012, Week 1, at Houston

After arriving as the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Tannehill won the starting job in camp but faced a tough assignment in the opener with a game at Houston. It was not a great debut. Tannehill was 20-for-36 for 219 yards and no touchdown, and threw three interceptions on consecutive series in the second quarter as the Texans turned a 3-3 game into a 24-3 lead on their way to a 30-10 victory.

Jay Cutler, 2017, Week 1, at L.A. Chargers

After being lured out of retirement and the TV booth, Cutler made his Dolphins debut at tiny StubHub Center in Los Angeles against the Chargers after the originally scheduled opener was postponed because of Hurricane Irma. Cutler actually had a good first start for the Dolphins as he completed 24 of 33 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown and no picks in a 19-17 victory.

Brock Osweiler, 2018, Week 6, vs. Chicago

After Tannehill sustained an upper-body injury in Week 5, Osweiler started the next five games and went 2-3. But his first start was a successful one as he completed 28 of 44 passes for 380 yards with three touchdowns and two picks in a 31-28 overtime victory against the Bears.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2019, Week 1, vs. Baltimore

After beating out newcomer Josh Rosen for the starting job in camp, Fitzpatrick had the unenviable task of leading an undermanned Dolphins team in their opener against Baltimore. It was not a pretty afternoon for anybody on the Dolphins and that includes Fitzpatrick, who went 14-for-29 for 185 yards with one touchdown and one interception in what ended up as a 59-10 loss.

Josh Rosen, 2019, Week 3, at Dallas

Rosen got his chance to start in Week 3 after lopsided losses against Baltimore and New England and things started off well enough as Rosen had a 40-yard completion to DeVante Parker on the third offensive play of the game. But that was pretty much it in terms of highlights. Rosen ended up completing less than 50 percent of his passes (18-of-39) for 200 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and he was sacked three times in a 31-6 loss.

Tua Tagovailoa, 2020, Week 8, vs. L.A. Rams

The Dolphins gave Tua a lot of help in his NFL starting debut, scoring a touchdown on a fumble return and a punt return and setting up another drive at the L.A. Rams 1-yard line with a fumble. Tagovailoa was only 12-for-22 for 93 yards with a touchdown pass to DeVante Parker and did not throw a pick. It was not spectacular by any means, but the end result was a Dolphins victory.

Jacoby Brissett, 2021, Week 3, at Las Vegas

Brissett completed mostly short passes after Tua was sidelined by a rib injury, but he delivered a clutch fourth-and-20 completion to Mike Gesicki to keep the Dolphins alive in overtime before the Raiders pulled out a 31-28 victory. Brissett's final stats included 32 completions in 49 attempts but for only 215 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Teddy Bridgewater, 2022, Week 5, at N.Y. Jets

This one was over before it began. Ten days after Tua Tagovailoa left the field at Cincinnati in an ambulance because of his scary-looking concussion on national television, the NFL was extra vigilant about not putting players at risk. And so it was that a concussion spotter had Bridgwater pulled from the game after he took a big hit in the end zone from Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner for a safety after a naked bootleg went awry. Bridgewater never returned and the Dolphins went on to lose 40-17 after trailing only 19-17 in the fourth quarter.

Skylar Thompson, 2022, Week 6, vs. Minnesota

This was the reverse of the previous week, with Thompson leaving the game early to be replaced by Bridgewater. Thompson lasted a bit longer, completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards before sustaining a hand injury in the second quarter. The Dolphins wound up losing the game, 24-16.

Tyler Huntley, 2024, Week 4, vs. Tennessee

This game was a mess from A to Z for the Dolphins, who started Huntley after Thompson sustained a rib injury the previous week at Seattle and with Tua on IR despite the fact he'd been with the team about two weeks and his playing style was not a fit for the McDaniel scheme. And then the Dolphins compounded matters by committing 10 penalties and losing a fumble when Tyreek Hill failed to run after a loose ball after dropping a lateral. Huntley failed to reach 100 yards passing, with 96 on 14 completions in 22 attempts, and had a 73.3 passer rating.

Quinn Ewers, 2024, Week 16, vs. Cincinnati

Without question, Ewers played better than his final numbers (20-for-30, 260 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 picks) would suggest, though it also wasn't a dazzling performance.

RANKING THE POST-MARINO STARTING QB DEBUTS

1. Brian Griese, 2003

2. Gus Frerotte, 2005

3. Brock Osweiler, 2018

4. Jay Cutler, 2017

5. Damon Huard, 2000

6. Jay Fiedler, 2000

7. Chad Pennington, 2008

8. Chad Henne, 2009

9. Jacoby Brissett, 2021

10. Trent Green, 2007

11. Tua Tagovailoa, 2020

12. Cleo Lemon, 2006

13. Quinn Ewers, 2025

14. A.J. Feeley, 2004

15. Joey Harrington, 2006

16. Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2019

17. Tyler Huntley, 2024

18. Josh Rosen, 2019

19. Sage Rosenfels, 2004

20. Matt Moore, 2011

21. Daunte Culpepper, 2006

22. Tyler Thigpen, 2010

23. Ryan Tannehill, 2012

24. John Beck, 2007

25. Ray Lucas, 2002

Inc. Teddy Bridgewater, 2022

Inc. Skylar Thompson, 2022