Tua Tagovailoa tossed touchdown passes of 30 and 60 yards on Tuesday but the training camp performance of a position group peer is grabbing the quarterback’s attention.

Rookie Quinn Ewers, the 231st overall pick in the 2025 draft and a three-year starter at Texas, is putting on a show of his own in a competition with former top-5 pick Zach Wilson.

“Quinn Ewers is doing great,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “He has a personality that players gravitate to.”

The competition is likely to play out in preseason games in August. Tagovailoa said he’s not above playing in the exhibitions, but given his injury history, the Dolphins have little to gain exposing him to meaningless hits before September.

Placing Ewers and Wilson, who was drafted by the Jets and spent last season with the Denver Broncos, in game-like situations will probably take precedent for Miami. Because Tagovailoa missed six games last season and the Dolphins were entirely dormant offensively without him, there’s added focus on finding a productive passer behind him. In five NFL seasons, Tagovailoa has played in 64 total games.

“I think Quinn Ewers has been balling,” Tagovailoa said.

In one red-zone drill on Monday, Tagovailoa was one of the most vocal cheerleaders as Ewers threw three touchdown passes and set social media ablaze with his accuracy.

“I think, realistically, Quinn’s development is all him,” McDaniel said. “But it’s as much as coaching and from the quarterback coaches and Zach and Tua as well. They’re creating a good environment that he has to keep up with because the other two are rolling.”

Ewers threw for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns at Texas.

–Field Level Media