The Miami Dolphins are making a change at quarterback. After their 28-15 loss on Monday night, something was bound to give. After limited success this season, it seemed either the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end. That said, many NFL fans and members of the media anointed this as the beginning of the end. It was made official this morning that Tua Tagovailoa would be benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Let’s dive into the benching and how this affects things moving forward.
Dolphins Bench Tua
After the Dolphins’ 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Monday, “Everything’s on the table,” Mike McDaniels said after the game. With how poorly the offense looked, it was only a matter of time until something gave. Tua’s final stat line was greater than his play on the field.
He finished with 22/28 completions for 253 yards, two passing TDs, and an interception. However, in the 4th quarter, when the Steelers had complete control, he completed 16 of 18 passes for 188 yards and two TDs. You can do the math about how bad he was through the first three quarters of play.
The interception he threw was his league-leading 15th on the season. His reckless nature this season is one of the biggest reasons for their subpar play. It was a win-and-keep-your-season-alive game, and he showed up small, as he has for most of his career. Tua’s numbers on the season are below average with 2,660 passing yards, 20 TDs, 15 INTs, an 88.5 rating, and a 67.7 completion percentage.
Can the Dolphins Move Off Tua?
In a perfect world, I assume they would love to get in a time machine and not give him the four-year $212.4 million contract extension Miami gave him last season. Now, is it possible to trade him? I don’t believe so. It’s going to be nearly impossible to move off a player who has been as injury-prone as he has, along with his physical limitations.
Here’s how his contract situation affects the Dolphins. Tua already has $54 million guaranteed for 2026. On March 15th, 2026, $3M of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed. If Miami were to cut him, it would result in an NFL-record $99M dead-money cap hit. If the move were a post-June 1st cut, it would equal $67.4M in dead money in 2026 & $31.8M in 2027.
What to Expect from Quinn Ewers?
The Dolphins drafted Ewers in the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Texas. He has seen limited game action, serving as the team’s emergency QB for most of the season. He entered the game against the Cleveland Browns, which the Dolphins lost 31-6. Ewers completed five of his eight passes for 53 yards and had two fumbles in the game.
His last season at Texas was solid. He led the conference with 31 TDs, but also led in INTs with 12. Overall, he finished his collegiate career completing 64.9% of his passes for 9,128 yards, 68 TDs, and 24 INTs. I think he will be solid against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend. Despite their defensive improvements over the past month, they are still subpar. If Ewers has time, he will have success.
Final Thoughts
The Dolphins are in an interesting situation with their three QBs. We haven’t forgotten about Zach Wilson. It still hasn’t been announced who will be backing up Ewers. However, it would be interesting if Tua isn’t involved, aside from emergency QB.
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