Cowboys One-Time Target Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Starts Over in NFL

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Cowboys One-Time Target Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Starts Over in NFL originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Before the Dallas Cowboys executed their trade for backup QB Joe Milton, sources told CowboysCountry.com that the scouting department here had a high opinion of Quinn Ewers.
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Then came the NFL Draft ... and in the eyes of the league? The option was that he deserved only to be the 231st pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
What's next for the Texas Longhorns star? The notion that he could someday spark a quarterback controversy in his new job with the Miami Dolphins might sound far-fetched, but to us, it's not as crazy as it seems.
Ewers has never been labeled an 'underdog.' From the moment he stepped onto a football field, he was a star. As just a sophomore, he became the starting quarterback at Southlake Carroll, one of the most prestigious high school football programs in the country. His dominant run at the high school level earned him five-star status and the crown of No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class, leading to his commitment to Ohio State.
His time as a Buckeye was short-lived. After one year of sitting behind C.J. Stroud, Ewers made the decision to return home and transfer to the University of Texas.
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In Austin, head coach Steve Sarkisian handed Ewers the keys to the program, and he delivered. Over the next three seasons, he helped lead Texas back to national relevance, winning a Big 12 Championship, earning two College Football Playoff appearances, and racking up 9,128 passing yards and 76 total touchdowns.
So it leads to the questions: How did a quarterback with that resume fall all the way to the seventh round, becoming the last quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft? He led one of college football's premier programs back to prominence, what more could teams possibly want?
Well ... it's complicated, and maybe even a little controversial.
During Ewers' time at Texas, the Longhorns landed yet another No. 1 overall recruit in 2023, Arch Manning. Football royalty, Manning is the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning. As expected, the hype was enormous. College football fans became fixated on the future, with constant calls for Manning to take the field. Any time Arch subbed in for special packages, the crowd erupted — often louder than it did for Ewers himself.
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Fair or not, the narrative started to shift.
Despite all that, Ewers remained one of the bigger names in college football. So why did the NFL pass on him for six and a half rounds? His agent, Ron Slavin, put it bluntly to ESPN.
'They thought he was a third- or fourth-round pick,'' Slavin said, "but too big of a name to be a clipboard holder.'
In other words, some teams were scared off by Ewers' stature. No front office wants its starting quarterback constantly looking over his shoulder as fans and media clamor for the backup — especially if that backup has a bigger name than the starter.
It's the exact situation Ewers experienced at Texas.
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Now, Ewers finds himself in Miami, projected as the third-string quarterback behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson. On paper, it sounds like a developmental role. But reality paints a different picture. Tua has struggled with durability, missing 14 games over his first four NFL seasons, while Zach Wilson has bounced around the league struggling with consistency.
As the season approaches, the idea of Quinn Ewers getting meaningful snaps in 2025 isn't as far-fetched as it once seemed. In fact, it might be closer to reality than anyone expected. ... and the Cowboys' high opinion of him might be proven right.
Get more from Hayden Pustejovsky here.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.