Dolphins are benching Tua Tagovailoa for rookie Quinn Ewers against the Bengals

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was unsure what his future with the team will look like following Wednesday's benching for rookie Quinn Ewers. For now, the former first-round draft pick said he will contribute in whatever way he can despite his disappointment with how this season has gone. "Disappointed," Tagovailoa said at his locker about coach Mike McDaniel's decision to demote him for Ewers. "I mean, I'm not happy about it, but it's something out of my control." The decision came after Tagovailoa struggled in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which eliminated Miami (6-8) from postseason contention. Ewers, a seventh-round pick by Miami earlier this year, will make his first career start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, McDaniel said Wednesday. Zach Wilson, who has been Miami's No. 2 quarterback most of the season, will back up Ewers. Tagovailoa will be the emergency third quarterback. "Naturally I'd say I'm disappointed," Tagovailoa said. "I think it's normal. It's a normal human emotion. But outside of that, I've got to do my part. My role here right now is to help whoever the quarterback is going to be for this team." McDaniel said the decision came down to who he felt gave the Dolphins the best chance to win. Miami fell 28-15 at Pittsburgh on Monday night, closing the door on its playoff hopes with three games left in the season. Tagovailoa threw for just 65 yards through three quarters on Monday, and the areas in which he has appeared to regress were evident again, from questionable decision-making to a lack of mobility that has hampered him throughout the season. He leads the NFL with 15 interceptions and hasn't played up to his contract after signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024. Ewers was 5 for 8 for 53 yards in his only action this season in a lopsided loss to the Browns in October. He was the 231st player selected in the draft last April after starting three seasons at Texas. "I'm super thankful that the staff believes in me to go out there and give us an opportunity to go win an NFL football game," Ewers said. "And I know going back on it, telling my 10-year-old, 12-year-old self the opportunity that I have in front of me, he'd be pretty stoked." Tagovailoa was drafted by Miami after winning a national championship during a successful college career at Alabama, and he was expected to be the key piece that would end years of disappointment for the Dolphins, who have the league's longest playoff-win drought. That didn't happen. Tagovailoa instead struggled on the field his first two seasons under former Miami coach Brian Flores and was benched several times as a rookie. Rumors churned then about Miami's intention of moving on from the quarterback. The Dolphins fired Flores and replaced him with McDaniel for the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa later said that McDaniel built him up after Flores tore him down as a young player. "I don't coach with pessimistic forecasts," McDaniel said Wednesday. "I coach to try to reach people. I believe in the players that are on the team. My job is to react and respond to situations. And when I have the conviction that a change needs to be made, I need to take action and not trivialize any game. "These are players with a finite career. There's games to be played in front of fans that paid to see them." The 27-year-old Tagovailoa had started every game this season but has a history of concussions. He missed six games last season because of a concussion and hip injury after playing 17 games in 2023. He led the NFL in yards passing that season, helped the Dolphins win 11 games to earn a wild-card spot and earned a big contract that included $167.2 million guaranteed. Tagovailoa said he didn't think his injury history contributed to his regression this season. His 15 interceptions are a career high, he is on pace to finish the season with his worst passer rate (88.5) since his rookie season, and he has failed to throw for more than 200 yards in eight of his 14 starts. Before this year, he hadn't had more than three such games in a season since 2021, his first year as a starter. "I would say the biggest thing, and it's being honest with myself as well, had been my performance," Tagovailoa said. "I haven't been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past." Tagovailoa declined to say whether he felt this decision would affect his future with the team. A total of $54 million is guaranteed for 2026. The Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing Tagovailoa. Releasing him next year would result in a $99 million dead cap charge. If the move is designated as a post-June 1 release, those charges are split over two years, with $67.4 million allocated to the 2026 cap and $31.8 million in 2027. The Denver Broncos took the NFL's all-time biggest cap hit of $85 million for releasing Russell Wilson in 2024. It's unclear if the Dolphins will stick with Ewers beyond Sunday. They close the season at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at New England. "In Tua's shoes, it's tough," Ewers said. "I was benched in the middle of a game last year. So I mean, I know how he feels, and it's a bad feeling."