Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel dropped the bombshell that Tua Tagovailoa may be benched, but it's far too late.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel shocked the NFL world by essentially stating that Tua Tagovailoa has a good chance of being benched. In fact, he alluded to that decision coming as soon as Wednesday.
McDaniel opened his press conference by being asked if he would consider a quarterback change this week, following the performance from Tagovailoa in the Dolphins' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"I think the quarterback play last night was not good enough, and so for me, everything is on the table," McDaniel said.
A follow-up question posed to McDaniel asked who would replace Tagovailoa if he is to be benched.
"I think we are in the process of game planning for the Cincinnati Bengals. In that process, we are trying todetermine who will give us the best chance to win. I will probably give you more clarity on that tomorrow, as we are 14 hours removed from the game," McDaniel said.
The issue with McDaniel's decision and comments, are that they are too late.
Tagovailoa has not been playing his normal brand of mistake-free football for most of this season. He threw his 15th interception in the Steelers' loss, but that was preceded by quite a few games where he threw multiple picks.
Earlier this season, Tagovailoa took umbrage when a reporter stated that he threw interceptions in "bunches," but the proof of that was in Weeks 7 and 8, when he threw three interceptions.
Even in the win against the Buffalo Bills, which kick-started the team's four-game winning streak, he threw two picks.
Simply put, McDaniel should have seen the proverbial writing on the wall and stepped in to make a change earlier.
Tagovailoa throwing interceptions, while also not crossing the 200 passing yard threshold in multiple games, should have been evidence enough for a quarterback change to have at least been discussed a bit more.
During the Dolphins' playoff-ending loss to the Steelers, Tagovailoa only threw 61 yards and an interception.
Miami's defense kept the team in the game, stopping Aaron Rodgers and company from scoring a touchdown until the last few minutes of the second quarter.
McDaniel could have allowed Zach Wilson to try his hand at jump-starting the offense in the third, or even the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa remained in the game and carved up the Steelers' secondary when they chose to play in soft coverage and not allow big plays.
Darren Waller came down with two touchdowns in garbage time, while Tagovailoa ended the day with 252 yards and a 113.2 passer rating.
While those stats would be respectable in a normal game, the yardage and touchdowns came during a less-than-hurried fourth-quarter charge.
The damage of keeping Tagovailoa under center during his clear slump has already cost the Dolphins their hopes of a postseason, and it may have cost them far more.
The Dolphins are now stuck between a rock and a hard place, where they must make a decision on Tagovailoa in 2026.
Designating Tagovailoa as a post-June 1 cut will trigger a $66 million cap hit, and $33 million the year after.
Something clearly has to be done about the Dolphins' passing game, and that starts with benching Tagovailoa. Making the tough decision to do so might also be the deciding factor that could keep McDaniel as the team's head coach in 2026.
If Wilson or Ewers comes out and can string together some wins, McDaniel may look better in the eyes of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Then again, it may work in the opposite way as a reminder that he did not make a decision hastily enough.
Either way, McDaniel's words have been the most evident that Tagovailoa will be benched in favor of another option. It may also signal that his time in Miami will be done after this season as well.
The good news and silver lining of making this decision now is that McDaniel and the Dolphins organization could give Ewers a longer audition to see what he can truly do. The rookie has come in at differing times, but has not been given a true shake to see if he can guide this offense.
Ewers was selected as a developmental quarterback in the draft, but there have been plenty of those incidents that have led to steep franchise stars. Tom Brady, for instance, was drafted in the sixth round.
That is not to say that Ewers is the next Brady, but the Dolphins won't know what they have until they test it. The rookie could put together some respectable games to end the season, and what better time to test his skills than when the team is missing out on the playoffs?
There is a lot of decision-making to be had once the 2025 season wraps up, but McDaniel's decision to make a change has come far too late.