Jacksonville upgrades its QB room behind Trevor Lawrence, acquiring high-upside backup Quinn Ewers for a late-round pick in 2028.
On Saturday, the Jacksonville Jaguars raised a few eyebrows by trading for Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Quinn Ewers.
With just about 24 hours before Sunday's 6:00 PM deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters down to 53, the Jaguars decided to get a head start on all of the transaction madness soon to come.
Jacksonville gave up its 2028 sixth-round pick to acquire Ewers, who was drafted by Miami in the seventh round just one year ago. Ewers showed some promise as a rookie, starting the final three games after Tua Tagovailoa was benched. He would finish 55-of-83 for 622 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. While those numbers don't exactly jump out, they aren't bad for a seventh-round rookie playing on a bad team.
The Jaguars have something to work with in Ewers, who was once thought of as a solid QB prospect at Texas before his star started to fizzle over his last collegiate season. Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen has an excellent track record of getting the best out of his quarterbacks and could do wonders for Ewers' development.
Before grading the trade, let's quickly dive into how it affects the Jaguars.
Is Ewers An Upgrade Over Nick Mullens?
Jacksonville is set with Trevor Lawrence as its starting QB. He had a career season in 2025 after being paired with Coen. Lawrence was an MVP finalist and finally looked like the star the team expected when drafting him first in 2021.
Behind Lawrence, the Jaguars had Nick Mullens as their QB2. Mullens has carved out a career as a dependable NFL backup.
However, Mullens has not looked very good this offseason. He was atrocious in Jacksonville's first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
For a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Jaguars, the thought of having to turn to Mullens if Lawrence missed any time became terrifying. Even though he looked better in the next two preseason games, it was no surprise that Jacksonville felt the need to add another quarterback.
In Ewers, the Jaguars are getting a 23-year-old QB with much higher upside than Mullens. Having Coen as his new coach should significantly raise both Ewers' ceiling and floor, and his three-game stint as a starter last year gave him valuable experience.
While Mullens has more experience, I believe Ewers is an upgrade, both in the present and certainly for the future.
Was Ewers Jacksonville's Best Option?
Once Jacksonville made the decision to add a quarterback, it appeared as though they would have a chance to trade for a number of different QBs who were thought to be available.
After Mullens' miserable preseason opener, I wrote about the Jaguars possibly trading for Mason Rudolph from the Pittsburgh Steelers. With youngsters Drew Allar and Will Howard waiting in the wings behind Aaron Rodgers, it was clear that Rudolph isn't part of Pittsburgh's long-term plans. However, neither Allar nor Howard proved ready for a QB2 role, convincing the Steelers to keep Rudolph.
I also wondered whether 2023 fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson, who has been a bust thus far for the Indianapolis Colts, could be an option. Richardson is possibly the most athletic QB ever to play in the NFL. He just has never been able to develop his tantalizing traits into anything that resembles a starting quarterback.
Although Richardson undoubtedly had the highest ceiling of any potential trade target, he also carried the most risk, and his reputation has never recovered from tapping out of a game because he was "tired."
Another possible option was Spencer Rattler, who has plenty of starting experience but was overtaken as the New Orleans Saints' QB1 last season by rookie Tyler Shough. Though Rattler has an abysmal 1-13 record as a starter, he was thrust into an impossible situation with a rebuilding Saints team that both lacked talent and was ravaged by injuries. Rattler is still highly regarded around the league as a high-end backup with starter upside.
Given those options, I would have given Rattler the nod as Jacksonville's best option, but what New Orleans was asking for in a trade is unknown. Several NFL teams, including Jacksonville, had interest in trading for Rattler, but nothing ever materialized.
Jaguars Grade For Quinn Ewers Trade
The Jaguars were able to acquire a young, cheap QB they can develop behind Lawrence. Ewers has a higher ceiling than any backup quarterback the team previously had.
He has three years remaining on a seventh-round rookie contract, making the financial risk practically zero.
The cost was minimal. Ewers' price was only a sixth-round pick in 2028.
The combination of Ewers' upside, cheap draft capital given up, and lack of monetary commitment makes this a significant win for Jacksonville.
Grade: B+
