The Miami Dolphins signed Malik Willis to be their starting quarterback this season. After the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dolphins added a potential backup for Willis — Mark Gronowski.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Saturday night the Dolphins signed Gronowski as an undrafted free agent.
As Pelissero noted, Gronowski is the winningest college football quarterback in history.
Gronowski captured 49 of his 58 victories in college at the FCS level. The quarterback led South Dakota State to a 49-6 mark from 2020-24. He won 49 games despite missing all of the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL.
With Gronowski behind center, South Dakota State won back-to-back FCS championships in 2022 and 2023.
During 2025, Gronowski led Iowa to a 9-4 record. He threw 10 touchdowns versus seven interceptions while also rushing for 16 scores.
Dolphins Sign QB Mark Gronowski in Undrafted Free Agency: Report
Miami added 13 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. None of them, though, were a quarterback.
The Dolphins entered the draft with three signal-callers already on their roster. But NFL teams typically carry a fourth quarterback during the offseason.
Gronowski will fill the QB4 role initially for Miami. He could, though, ultimately compete with Cam Miller for the team’s QB3 spot.
Gronowski’s several years of college experience could give him an edge in any quarterback competition. Clearly, he won a lot in college too.
The quarterback earned the starting job at South Dakota State as a freshman despite being a 0-star recruit. He became an immediate star, earning freshman of the year honors in his conference.
After recovering from his knee injury in 2021, Gronowski returned to star for South Dakota State again. During his second year as a starter, he led the program to its first of back-to-back championships.
In addition to 49 wins, Gronowski completed his South Dakota State career with 10,308 passing yards and 93 touchdowns. He also had 1,767 rushing yards with an additional 37 scores on the ground.
At Iowa, Gronowski passed for 1,741 yards in 13 games. He also rushed for 545 yards.
At the FBS level, Gronowski wasn’t as much of a passing threat. It’s possible, though, Iowa’s offense played a role in his depleted passing number.
Gronowski averaged 8.7 yards per attempt at South Dakota State versus 6.6 yards per pass at Iowa.
Dolphins QB Depth After 2026 NFL Draft
Analysts often say prospects would prefer to be undrafted free agents than late-round draft picks. That was probably the case for Gronowski.
The quarterback appears to have landed in the perfect spot for him to earn a roster spot.
Behind Willis, the Dolphins have two other inexperienced, young quarterbacks — Miller and Quinn Ewers.
The Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round last year. Miller landed in Miami when the Dolphins claimed him off waivers in January.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Miller in the sixth round last spring.
Ewers started three games for the Dolphins at the end of last season. He completed 66.3% of his passes for 622 yards. Ewers averaged 7.5 yards per pass with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Because of that brief experience, Ewers probably has the inside track to be the team’s backup to Willis.
But Miller has never played in the NFL regular season. If Gronowski could outplay Miller in offseason workouts, the two could engage in a training camp battle for QB3.
Typically, only three quarterbacks make a team’s roster after the preseason.
Whichever signal-caller isn’t kept, though, the Dolphins could try to bring back on their practice squad.
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