Mike McDaniel made his decision: Tua Tagovailoa is headed to the bench.
The Miami Dolphins are benching Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers ahead of Sunday's Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday, per sources informed of the move.
McDaniel confirmed the news later Wednesday, adding that Zach Wilson will back up Ewers, while Tagovailoa will serve as the emergency third-string quarterback.
"I think Quinn gives this team the best chance to win," McDaniel told reporters, explaining his decision. "Ultimately, the team needs and I'm looking for conviction in quarterback play. Understanding that he is a rookie, I felt that he would play the position the most convicted, which impacts every player on the field."
Tagovailoa said Wednesday that he was "disappointed" by the news -- "I'm not happy about it" -- but vowed to help Ewers and Wilson prepare to play.
"I'm here, and my role right now, if I'm not starting, is to help the starter help us win games," Tagovailoa told reporters.
The benching doesn't come as a surprise after McDaniel said Tuesday he was contemplating the move. When coaches begin waffling on a starter, a change almost always follows.
On Tuesday, McDaniel said the quarterback play “was not good enough.” Now he'll see if he can get better from Ewers.
How Tua's struggles led to benching
Tagovailoa's struggles aren't a one- or two-week issue. The starter has been on the downswing for more than a month.
In Monday night's blowout loss, he put up 65 passing yards with an interception and two drive-killing sacks through three quarters. The bulk of his 253 passing yards and both of his touchdowns came in garbage time.
During the Dolphins' four-game winning streak that preceded their Week 15 loss, McDaniel had mitigated the passing game, leaning on an explosive rushing attack. Tua went four consecutive games with fewer than 175 passing yards. It was enough to beat mostly sub-500 teams, but not an indicator of a healthy passing attack.
Tagovailoa leads the NFL with 15 interceptions in 2025. His -0.06 EPA per dropback ranks fourth-worst among quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts, ahead of only Cam Ward, Geno Smith and Joe Flacco, per Next Gen Stats. His total QBR is also fourth-worst among qualifying QBs -- Ward, Smith and J.J. McCarthy.
We've seen little of the quick-decision, precision passing game that Tua deployed during his Pro Bowl season in 2023, when he led the NFL with 4,624 yards passing. Far too often, the sixth-year pro has looked lost, missing reads, spiking throws, struggling with pressure and making rookie-type mistakes.
McDaniel's conscious diminishment of the passing offense over the past month spoke volumes about what he thought of the quarterback's play. The benching cemented those assumptions.
Examining QB's future in Miami
If McDaniel remains the head coach in 2026, can he really turn back to a benched quarterback? Can Miami afford to move on?
The Dolphins inked Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract in 2024. Less than two years in, he's been sent to the bench for ineffective play. With three years remaining on his contract, Tua is due $56.4 million guaranteed in 2026.
Cutting or trading him would not come cheap. Releasing him outright would carry a $99.2 million dead-money hit. Even a post-June 1 release would still count $67.4 million against the cap in 2026. A spring trade would be a little less, with $45.2 million in dead money hitting the books. But who is trading for an ineffective, benched QB with a $39 million base salary?
We've seen teams take their lumps with dead money. Russell Wilson in Denver is the biggest example, with the Broncos taking on a record $85 million in dead money, including $53 million in 2024.
The other factor in benching Tagovailoa is his injury history. The quarterback missed multiple games in four of his first five seasons, including multiple concussions and a hip injury that ended his 2024 season. Putting him in bubble wrap to close the season will avoid an injury that could hinder the Dolphins' options this offseason.
Miami is already in a salary-cap quandary, projected to be roughly $11 million over the cap next season, per Over The Cap. Tackling that and dead money from Tua's contract would take gold-medal level cap gymnastics.
The Dolphins could take a page from the Falcons playbook with Kirk Cousins, hanging on to the highly-paid quarterback as an uber-expensive backup -- while possibly hoping a post-June 1 trade materialized to offer some relief. Even considering that move would require a cheap starter on a rookie contract to take the reins.
There are no great options if Tua isn't on the field earning his money.
What can Ewers provide down stretch?
The offseason steps in Miami could come down to how Ewers plays down the stretch.
The seventh-round rookie gets the nod over former Jets first-rounder Zach Wilson, who had been the backup in recent weeks. The decision to leapfrog Wilson for Ewers feels like a move to see what the rookie has to offer. If he hits -- say, like Brock Purdy -- it would give Miami a potential cheap starter at the most expensive position in football.
Ewers has appeared in one game this season, taking over for a benched Tagovailoa in a Week 7 blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns. In mop-up duty, the rookie completed 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards. Now he'll get a chance to show what he's got with a full week of prep.
A three-year starter at Texas, Ewers passed for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns with 24 interceptions in 36 games in Austin. The 22-year-old doesn't have the strongest whip, but he can get the ball out quickly, and works in rhythm. Those should benefit him in McDaniel's offense. The rookie will have to display a solid understanding of his progression and avoid the negative plays that hindered him in his final season at Texas.
With the Dolphins officially eliminated from the postseason, they'll give the seventh-rounder a shot down the stretch. It's a worthwhile move. If Ewers impresses, it would provide a massive low-cost answer at quarterback entering 2026. If he bombs, nothing is lost, and Miami could start to look at first-round rookies in April's draft.
