MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and will start rookie Quinn Ewers on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday.
“I need convicted quarterback play. This team needs convicted quarterback play,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “I thought Quinn gave us the best chance to do that … I couldn’t responsibly play this next game when I thought what the team needed was available and live in hope and wish and stuff.”
The Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention after Monday’s 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which Tagovailoa completed just 6-of-10 passes for 65 yards and an interception through three quarters.
Tagovailoa has struggled this season, leading the NFL with a career-high 15 interceptions through 14 games. Before Week 15, he hadn’t thrown for more than 173 yards in a single game since Week 9, and McDaniel mentioned multiple times over the past month that Miami’s passing game needed to improve.
The former first-round pick said he was “disappointed” by McDaniel’s decision and although he was “not happy about it,” the demotion forced him to take an honest look at his play this season.
“I would say the biggest thing, and it’s being honest with myself as well, has been my performance,” he said. “I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past.”
When asked whether he believes he has played his last game for the franchise that signed him to a four-year, $212.1 million extension in 2024, Tagovailoa said he “can’t predict the future.”
The Dolphins selected Ewers in the seventh round of this year’s draft after three seasons at Texas and one at Ohio State. He spent 13 of the Dolphins’ first 14 games as an inactive emergency third quarterback but was promoted to backup for the team’s Week 7 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Ewers entered the game for a struggling Tagovailoa late in the fourth quarter, completing 5-of-8 passes for 53 yards.
He will operate as the starter for at least Sunday’s game against the Bengals, while Zach Wilson serves as the primary backup. Tagovailoa will be inactive as the team’s emergency third quarterback.
Dolphins players expressed empathy for Tagovailoa’s situation hours after McDaniel told the team the news.
“I understand that a lot of great quarterbacks have been benched before and came back and had career arcs that people still talk about,” linebacker Bradley Chubb said. “So, his story’s far from over just about how he handles it.”
Dolphins center Aaron Brewer said he believes the decision to start Ewers is the right decision simply because he believes McDaniel has the team’s best interests in mind.
While Ewers has primarily run the scout offense this season, it hasn’t stopped him from making an impression on his teammates. Chubb said Ewers is a “dog” who has frustrated Miami’s linebackers with his play at practice, and Brewer called the rookie a “baller.”
McDaniel did not commit to Ewers starting for the Dolphins remaining three games this season, nor did he comment on Tagovailoa’s future with the team; his decision was made solely based on winning their next game.
It was arguably the biggest decision of McDaniel’s career with the Dolphins and comes roughly a year after advocating for Tagovailoa’s extension last offseason.
Miami now has a difficult decision looming this offseason. Tagovailoa has $54 million in guaranteed compensation next season, plus another $3 million guaranteed of his 2027 salary if he remains on the roster on March 13. The Dolphins will eat more than $99 million in dead cap if they release him this coming offseason. That number drops to $45 million if they’re able to trade him, but a suitor seems unlikely considering his contract.
The Dolphins also released veteran pass rusher Matthew Judon on Wednesday. After signing with Miami in August, Judon played primarily on special teams and as a rotational pass rusher in 13 games (three starts). After the Dolphins traded linebacker Jaelan Phillips at the deadline, Judon saw increased snaps, but he didn’t record a sack this season. The four-time Pro Bowler will have the chance to sign with a playoff contender if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
