Piecing Together the Puzzling Dolphins QB Room

Following the underwhelming performances from the Miami Dolphins backup quarterbacks Friday night, the position room got a little more complicated.

On Sunday, the Dolphins announced that they have signed back quarterback Mark Gronowski. Gronowski, an undrafted free agent from the University of Iowa, was cut by Miami a little over a week ago. Now, he’s back with the team going into preseason week two.

This comes off reports that Quinn Ewers suffered a groin injury early on in the game Friday and will be sidelined for at least a few days.

Current QB Room

In theory, this bumps Cam Miller up to QB2, with Gronowski likely seeing reps in the upcoming game against the New York Giants. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence considering Miller was 3-for-11 passing for 39 yards and two interceptions against Washington, and Miami had determined they’d seen enough from Gronowski to cut him less than two weeks into camp.

Ewers’ injury likely won’t sideline him for very long, a factor in the choice of Gronowski over the veterans available.

Ewers' numbers against Washington were just as bad as Miller's, if not worse. He completed only 1 of 8 passes for 27 yards with one interception.

Head coach Jeff Hafley, though, pointed out Ewers' poor numbers didn't fall strictly on him.

“There were two examples where Quinn was playing quarterback where play-pass, on his first hitch, he threw a great ball that would have been about a 25-, 30-yard explosive, maybe more. And the receiver broke out and he should have hooked up.”

There are, obviously, some external factors that played into the abysmal showing we saw from Ewers and Miller, but it doesn’t necessarily change the outlook overall, considering both struggled in camp. So, if this continues, it’s important to look into what Miami can do next.

Roster Cut Options

The most reasonable scenario is to look to teams with deeper rooms, hoping someone will fall victim to the numbers game of cutdown day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers stand out here. On top of Aaron Rodgers and third-round pick Drew Allar, Mason Rudolph appears to be the leader in the clubhouse for the third spot. This potentially leaves Will Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, on the outside looking in. Howard performed strongly in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener (after not playing at all in 2025), going 7-for-9 passing and leading a nice two-minute drill before halftime. If there’s a real possibility he gets released, Miami should be all over it.

Another room to at is that of the Tennessee Titans. Behind Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky, who they signed to a two-year deal in March, there are two top 75 picks from the 2023 draft in Will Levis and Hendon Hooker. Neither has shown much throughout their careers, but they’re a pair of lottery tickets that might be worth scratching given Miami’s current room.

Potential Trades and Signings

Among the other potential avenues, there’s the slim possibility that long-rumored trade candidates like the New Orleans Saints’ Spencer Rattler or Philadelphia Eagles’ Tanner McKee could be moved, but price would be the biggest factor there.

As for the free agent market, the highest-profile name is 34-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo, who, per a report by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, would be interested in playing this season in the “right situation.”

Each of these seems increasingly unlikely given the return of Gronowski, which seemed like a temporary measure until Ewers returns to practice.

In light of Ewers' poor performance in the preseason opener and a rough stretch in training camp, staying the course with him as the No. 2 behind Willis might not be the popular choice for Hafley and his staff, but it doesn't mean it's not the likely decision.

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