The Miami Dolphins have benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. This move comes just days after the Pittsburgh Steelers eliminated the Dolphins from playoff contention on Monday Night Football.
BREAKING: Dolphins Bench Tua Tagovailoa For Quinn Ewers
This puts an end to a disappointing season for Tua Tagovailoa. A former first-round pick, the Alabama product had a strong run in the early years of the Mike McDaniel Era. He led the league in touchdown percentage in 2022, yardage in 2023, and completion percentage in 2024 while paired with the first-time head coach and superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Unfortunately, the wheels soon fell off the wagon, as he struggled throughout the 2025 season. At the time of his benching, Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and a league-worst 15 interceptions.
It’s unclear if Tagovailoa will be a Dolphin next year. While head coach Mike McDaniel clearly feels he’s not the best option for the team, he has $54 million in guaranteed money on his contract for the 2026 season. With such a high figure, it’s hard to envision a world where any other team trades for his services.
Quinn Ewers entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a decent amount of hype but fell to the seventh round of the draft. However, despite the setback in draft capital, he beat out veteran Zach Wilson for the QB2 job and will likely spend the remainder of the season under center. So far in his short career, he has completed five of his eight attempts for 53 yards. During his final year in college, Ewers completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
