\u201cWe have a bit of an uphill climb,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWe\u2019ll do it the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
A positive: despite the uncertainty surrounding Tagovailoa\u2019s situation, the Dolphins do have a quarterback on the roster in Quinn Ewers who looked serviceable<\/a> during his three-game stint as a starter to end the year. Sullivan, for one, appears somewhat enthusiastic about the former Texas standout\u2019s future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball was coming out gross \u2013 clean, tight spiral, had a little more juice on it,\u201d Sullivan said of Ewers\u2019 three-game stint as QB1. \u201cI like what he did. He\u2019s a little bit like Tua in the sense that he\u2019s accurate, very good short to intermediate thrower. Quinn would be the first to tell you there were a couple of decisions he wishes he had back, but I thought he did a nice job in a limited window that he had. Certainly gives you some excitement moving forward about what he could potentially be.\u201d<\/p>\n So with a question mark at quarterback, limited resources and significant roster holes, the 2026 season could certainly be one to forget. Or, as both Sullivan and Hafley will strive to do, it could be one later deemed as the catalyst to the future.<\/p>\n Think about what has happened across the league in the last few seasons. The Denver Broncos, for example, cut quarterback Russell Wilson in 2024, suffering the largest cap hit in NFL history, yet have been able to make postseason over the last two years. A 4-13 New England Patriots team went 14-3 a year later<\/a> and even made it to the most recent Super Bowl due to a huge cultural shift.<\/p>\n The bottom line: sometimes a step back becomes necessary to take a few steps forward. And while it might seem like the Dolphins have been here before considering the \u201cTank for Tua\u201d era, one big difference remains: for the first time in a while, the general manager and coach weren\u2019t just forced together. Instead, the two individuals chose one another, a move that allowed them to build Miami in their image.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Sully\u2019 and I have had a lot of really good conversations about that,\u201d Hafley said of how they plan to build out the Dolphins, later adding \u201csome could look at it in certain ways\u2014 I look at it as really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 4:14 PM.<\/p>\n
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