Miami Dolphins to bench QB Tua Tagovailoa after missing playoffs | NFL
The Miami Dolphins are starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and will start rookie Quinn Ewers on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday.
The playoff-eliminated Dolphins (6-8) signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million extension in July 2024 after leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624.
But in the midst of a disappointing season, McDaniel suggested Tuesday that a change could be coming after a 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. “The quarterback play last night wasn’t good enough,” McDaniel said Tuesday. “So for me, everything is on the table.”
On Wednesday, he announced that Ewers would get his first career NFL start against the Bengals (4-10). “The decision is complicated but simple,” McDaniel said.
“The simple thing is I think Quinn gives this team the best chance to win. Our goal is obviously to win the next three games, but in particular – as I told the players – we’re focused on winning against the Bengals, so that’s the motivation.
“Zach will support him and Tua will be the emergency third.”
When asked what he thought about making Tua the emergency quarterback, McDaniel said, “I think it was best for all parties involved, Quinn, Zach and Tua.”
But McDaniel didn’t stop there. “The three quarterbacks… I think they understood that my intention and my motivation is concretely to do the best thing for the team.
“Starting with Tua, it wasn’t easy for him to hear. It was a tough conversation but I also think he showed what makes him a captain and a leader on this team. He understood what that means for his contribution to the team and how he’s going to help Quinn prepare for his first start.”
Tagovailoa, 27, completed 6 of 10 passes for 65 yards while throwing his NFL-leading 15th interception through the first three quarters of Monday’s game. He finished 22 of 28 for 253 yards with two late touchdowns to tight end Darren Waller.
Tagovailoa has totaled 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. More changes are expected, and the Dolphins didn’t wait to cut a defensive player.
Veteran passer Matthew Judon, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Dolphins before the season, was waived Wednesday. Judon, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, appeared in 13 games with Miami. The 33-year-old committed no sacks and was credited with just nine total pressures this season by Pro Football Focus, which would rank him in the bottom five of 112 outside linebackers ranked by the site.
The Dolphins acquired Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ewers was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft out of Texas.
“Quinn, his character, his understanding that it’s uncharted territory as a rookie, but also his relationship with his teammates and his motivation,” McDaniel added. “I think our team with him starting at quarterback gives us the best opportunity to beat the Bengals.”
Ewers, 22, made his only NFL appearance on Oct. 19 on mop-up duty in a 31-6 loss at Cleveland. He completed five of eight passes for 53 yards.
