The Miami Dolphins lost 45-21 to the Cincinnati Bengals after they allowed 35 straight points following their early 14-10 lead. The biggest news for the Dolphins heading into the game was that they benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ending his five-year tenure as Miami’s primary starter.
The Dolphins turned to rookie seventh-round draft pick Quinn Ewers to start. It marked his first career start, as Ewers went 20-for-30 with 260 passing yards and two interceptions. Head coach Mike McDaniel called Ewers’ performance a “good starting point.” Additionally, he said of Ewers going forward, “I thought he earned some opportunities to continue to develop. I was happy with how how he handled the position, that’s not easy.”
Tua Tagovailoa’s New Role
Former Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was demoted to third on the depth chart, behind Zach Wilson. He was listed as inactive for the game, but suited up as he was designated as the team’s emergency third quarterback. Quinn Ewers was asked about how Tua handled his newfound role and said “He was good. Super encouraging to me and all the guys. Again, he’s in a tough position. Like I said earlier this week, I’ve been there and know how it feels.
I thought he did a really good job of helping me out on the sideline and continuing to talk to those guys and continuing to encourage those guys.”
Despite expressing annoyance at Miami’s decision to bench him, it seems Tua handled it well and supported his teammates in the loss. Tua’s new role does not appear likely to last long. Prior to the game, NFL Network insiders reported that Tua Tagovailoa is not expected to be back in 2026 with the Dolphins.
If this marks the end of his Dolphins career, the 2020 first-round pick would finish with a 44–32 record, 18,166 passing yards, 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. His accolades include a ninth-place MVP finish in 2022, a Pro Bowl appearance in 2023 and leading the league in passing yards in 2023.
Quinn Ewers
Ewers started the game off strong for Miami as he led the Dolphins to a 14-10 lead in the second quarter. He started 9-for-11 for 105 passing yards before struggling in the second half. Things spiraled in the third quarter for the Dolphins as they were outscored by 21 points and the Bengals began removing their starters in the fourth quarter. Regarding the team’s second half struggles, Ewers said “It’s hard to win ball games whenever you have three turnovers. I wish I had a couple of those balls back.”
Teammate Darren Waller said of Ewers’ performance “He spins it. I like catching the ball he throws.” Waller finished with three receptions for 40 yards, all of which came in the first half.
With his 260 passing yards, Ewers is now second among Dolphins rookies for passing yards in their first career start, behind only Dan Marino. McDaniel’s postgame comments seemed to indicate Ewers will continue to serve as Miami’s starter for these remaining two games. Next, he’ll take on the 7-8 Buccaneers, a team that has lost six out of their last seven games.
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