MIAMI GARDENS ― The Miami Dolphins upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-17, at Hard Rock Stadium, behind rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Bradley Chubb had two sacks. Theo Wease and Greg Dulcich scored touchdowns.
No time like the present for an Overreaction.
Quinn Ewers should get chance to start in ’26
Overreaction? Yes… but. Who knows what Ewers may or may not be? Brock Purdy (and, yes, Tom Brady) are late-round outliers, and there aren’t many. But Ewers has some of the goods required. We just don’t see Miami going into next season with Ewers as the unquestioned starter. Miami will need to, and absolutely figures to, explore any and all available trade, free agent and draft possibilities at the most important position in the game.
Mike McDaniel likely to return in ’26
Overreaction? No… but. We’ll see. Who could know with 100 percent certainty what owner Stephen Ross will do? Every indication is he likes Mike McDaniel and wants to bring him back. The Dolphins started 2-7 and so a recent run here of 5-2 helps his cause. Miami has continued to play hard, while other teams have laid down. And McDaniel showed he can win, at least one game, without Tua Tagovailoa.
Jaylen Waddle is injury prone
Overreaction? Yes… but. Waddle left Miami’s game with a ribs injury and did return but had one rush and no catches. It may seem like Waddle is often leaving the field to be checked by trainers. But in reality, he hasn’t missed that many games. Waddle’s career games, year-by-year is 16, 17, 14 15, 16. That’s quite good. Waddle has had head, ankle and knee injuries in the NFL, but mostly has been available as a pro.
New England game means something
Overreaction? No. The Dolphins can spoil the Patriots’ bid for a bye and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Dolphins can put some good film on their resume as coaches and teams look at the effort of players whose teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. For Quinn Ewers, this surely means a lot. It will be a final audition for playing time consideration in 2026. And for Ross and McDaniel, 8-9 is more appealing in a return than 7-10, though, technically, 8-9 would be status quo from 2024.
Dolphins should bring back Bradley Chubb
Overreaction? No. Chubb is a team leader and he’s had 8.5 sacks. Miami should be able to bring him back at a reasonable cost. At the moment Chubb has a $31.2 million cap hit next year, with a potential dead cap of $23.9 million. His cap hit for this year was $12.3 million. Chubb, 29, likes Miami. Coming back on a new incentive-laded deal similar to the one he had this year would seem reasonable for all parties. But he’s obviously not coming back at $31.2 million.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins overreaction Monday: Quinn Ewers QB starter in 2026?
Reporting by Joe Schad, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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