Report: Miami Dolphins benching Tua Tagovailoa, set to start rookie Quinn Ewers

The Miami Dolphins have benched starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rookie Quinn Ewers is in line to start Sunday.

Head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the possibility Tuesday and said everything was on the table. Now with Tagovailoa on the bench, the former Texas star gets his shot.

In the 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tagovailoa was 22-of-28 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. On the surface, it’s not a bad stat line, but there has not been consistent play for the Dolphins this year as they dropped to 6-8 and out of the playoff race.

“I’m pretty disappointed in myself with how ready I got our receiving corps ready,” Tagovailoa said postgame. “I kind of felt like I let our guys down.

“We were messing ourselves up really. Just basically every aspect from my communication to the guys, with them getting in the huddle, calling the plays, getting out, guys knowing where to go with their alignments. All of that.”

Tua Tagovailoa benched for Quinn Ewers

This year, Tagovailoa has 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 67.7% completion percentage. Ewers is just five-of-eight passing for 53 yards in one game this year.

He was promoted to Tagovailoa’s primary backup in October, going in front of former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. With three games left, he’ll get a crack to make a solid impression.

Ewers played three seasons at Texas after spending a brief time at Ohio State in 2021 (following leaving high school early). He set a career high in touchdown passes in 2024 with 31. Overall, Ewers had 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and a 64.9% completion percentage with the Longhorns.

As a member of the Class of 2021, Ewers was a five-star-plus recruit out of Southlake (Texas) Carroll, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 overall prospect in the class.