The Jaguars added a quarterback Saturday, acquiring Quinn Ewers from the Miami Dolphins in a trade confirmed by sports.yahoo.com. The move comes one day before NFL rosters must shrink from 91 to 53 players.
Ewers arrives in Jacksonville as a second-year passer who spent last season as Miami's backup. What the Jaguars gave up is not public. What is clear: Jacksonville wanted a young quarterback behind starter Trevor Lawrence without waiting for waiver claims.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, moved a player they were likely to cut anyway. Miami needs roster spots and got something for a quarterback who had no path to playing time behind Tua Tagovailoa. Trading him Saturday beats releasing him Sunday.
Jacksonville's quarterback room now has Ewers alongside Carter Bradley and Nick Mullens, both of whom threw passes for the Jaguars this preseason. Ewers' college pedigree at Texas made him a draft story, but in the NFL he's a development project. The Jaguars are betting his arm talent translates in a system that values downfield throws.
The risk is low. Backup quarterbacks are interchangeable until they aren't. What this trade does is settle a depth-chart question before the deadline. Jacksonville gets a player it can evaluate for a year. Miami gets an asset instead of a waiver claim.
The numbers say this is a marginal move. The timing says otherwise. Both teams made a decision about their final 53 on Saturday rather than waiting. That is the part worth watching: whether Ewers sticks in Jacksonville or becomes another preseason cut.
My take: this is a lottery ticket with no real cost. The Jaguars need bodies at quarterback, and Ewers has more upside than the typical street free agent. Miami cleared a spot without eating dead money. Neither team loses this trade, which is why it happened two days before the deadline.