This week, the Miami Dolphins announced they would be benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. This occurred after the Dolphins’ 28-15 Monday Night Football loss against the Steelers, which officially knocked them out of playoff contention.
Tagovailoa had been the Dolphins full-time starter since the 2021 season. The team had only used other quarterbacks in this span when Tagovailoa was out with injuries. Miami’s last full-time starter was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started 20 games for the Dolphins. Fitzpatrick was benched in favor of Tagovailoa in the 2020 season. Following that move, Fitzpatrick said “It was heartbreaking for me.”
Now, Tagovailoa finds himself in a similar situation to what Ryan Fitzpatrick dealt with in the 2020 season. When asked about the current Miami Dolphins situation, Fitzpatrick said on the Thursday Night Football postgame show that “Tua Tagovailoa’s time in Miami is done.”
Miami Dolphins Quarterback History
It’s no secret that the Dolphins have failed to replicate the success Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino had at the quarterback position since his retirement. Quinn Ewers will become the 32nd starting quarterback the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino. If what Ryan Fitzpatrick says is true, and Tagovailoa does not play again for the Dolphins, he would finish fourth in passing yards for the franchise. The former fifth-overall selection would also end his tenure with the third most wins among Dolphins quarterbacks.
As mentioned previously, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the Dolphins starter for 20 games. He was benched twice by the team. First, in favor of Josh Rosen in 2019, and then Tagovailoa in 2020. He would regain his job on both occasions; however, he would be unable to finish out the year as Miami’s starter in 2020 as he tested positive for COVID-19.
Rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers has not been announced as the starter the rest of the year, but he will start Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. Regarding Ewers’ first week of practice with the team as a starter, McDaniel said “I saw the reason why we made the move that way. It wasn’t perfect but the competitive response and the conviction at the position after anything would go awry, that’s what I really like about him.”
Future at the Position For Miami
Ewers will likely have a trial-run at the position for the Dolphins for the remaining three games of the season. A new report suggested Miami will try and move off Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, meaning his benching is not just a temporary decision. Tagovailoa is set to carry a $56 million cap hit in 2026, which makes his contract hard to move.
Who Miami’s quarterback in 2026 will be remains to be seen. Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers has three years remaining on his contract. He started 37 games in college, and led the SEC with 31 touchdowns in his final year before declaring for the NFL Draft. Backup quarterback Zach Wilson expressed his confusion at the Dolphins decision to go with Ewers, but he is set to be a free agent after the year.
At 6-8, the Dolphins currently possess the 11th overall pick in the upcoming Draft, which is out of the range of projected quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore.
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