The Miami Dolphins are in a full rebuild, and the team was still able to secure Malik Willis to be the presumed starter for the 2026 season. While he has not been named as such, paying a three-year, $67.5 million contract all but means he will be the man under center come Week 1.

Interestingly, this leaves some questions regarding the rest of the quarterback room. Mainly, who will be the backup? That question might have just been answered with the exit of Zach Wilson.

Wilson signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints and will serve as the backup for Tyler Shough in 2026. 

While Wilson never made any sort of impact with the Dolphins, and he was passed over as the starter when Tua Tagovailoa was benched. Instead of going with the veteran, the team chose to start rookie Quinn Ewers in the final three games of the season.

That said, Wilson's exit has multiple potential implications for the Dolphins in 2026.

The fact that the Dolphins have allowed Wilson to take his leave means they could be plenty comfortable with how their quarterback room currently sits. Willis will be the presumed starter, and that could leave Ewers to be his direct backup.

Now, there is no guarantee that Ewers will be the backup, but his growth was something that the past and current regimes have made note of. The upcoming second-year player may have worked himself into at least a backup position for the coming season.

Ewers could also be the person to step in should an injury befall Willis. The Dolphins have not added another veteran passer, and they may still do that. However, the former Texas product might be enough for that money to be spent elsewhere.

There is no denying or arguing that Willis will be the quarterback under center in 2026. The Dolphins paid $22.5 million to see if he can truly be a starter, and that is the consensus among most analysts. 

Willis has had an up-and-down career thus far, initially starting for the Tennessee Titans. He dealt with some early career injuries, which derailed his chances to be given a chance to show off what he can do.

Willis did just that in relief of the injured Jordan Love, which is what led to his receiving a three-year deal from the Dolphins. Now, he can get his chance to start for Miami.

Wilson's exit means he will not be direct competition for Willis or even win the starting job, even though that was never going to be the case.

What is most interesting about Wilson signing with a new team is what it could mean for the draft. The Dolphins brass has made it known they plan to infuse competition at every position, but the quarterback situation appears to be worked out.

General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan did indicate the team would draft a quarterback every year if they had to. However, drafting a quarterback right now would be a bit confusing.

Willis is the starter, Ewers could be the presumed backup, but the third-string emergency quarterback option is Cam Miller. Miami might need to bring in more competition for Ewers' sake, and they could potentially target someone like Carson Beck.

Again, the arrival of Willis means the Dolphins are likely to see if he can be the franchise option, in which case they would not need to find a new passer. However, Ewers might also be a bit too rough around the edges, and another younger body brought in to further push him to be better.

Either way, the Dolphins do have a more cohesive plan in place for their quarterback room, and it would be very shocking if that included a higher draft pick used on someone like Alabama's Ty Simpson.