Dolphins McDaniel opens door to benching Tua

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel opened the door to a possible quarterback change Tuesday, saying “everything’s on the table,” after Tua Tagovailoa‘s performance in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Dolphins (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention Monday with the 28-15 loss at Pittsburgh, in which Tagovailoa completed just 6 of 10 passes for 65 yards and an interception through three quarters.

When asked after the game whether he was considering a quarterback change, McDaniel said he didn’t want to make a “rash” or “shortsighted” decision. His tone changed Tuesday.

“I think the quarterback play last night was not good enough, and so for me, everything’s on the table,” he said.

Tagovailoa finished 22-of-28 for 253 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter with the Dolphins trailing 28-3. Entering Monday’s game, he hadn’t thrown for more than 173 yards since Week 9.

McDaniel admitted the Dolphins’ passing offense, which ranks 31st in the league since Week 10, hasn’t been good enough and “hurt us” in the loss.

Tagovailoa on Monday took responsibility for his play, and for what he called a lack of preparation.

“For one, I got to play better. I got to be better for our guys offensively,” he said. “Two, I’m pretty disappointed with how ready I got our receivers, in terms of operation, in terms of guys knowing where to line up, and communication when it comes to personnel.

“That’s something I harp to guys when we’re in our own player-led meetings, and I felt like I let our guys down in that aspect.”

McDaniel said he would make a decision about the team’s starting quarterback Wednesday. He has two options to choose from should he decide to bench Tagovailoa.

Miami signed 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson this offseason, but he hasn’t started a game since 2023. The Dolphins also drafted former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in the seventh round of this year’s draft. Ewers briefly served as the team’s backup quarterback for its Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns and briefly entered the game but has otherwise been the Dolphins’ emergency quarterback.

Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.1 million extension in 2024 after he led the NFL in passing yards in 2023. However, he missed a career-high six games last season, and while he has been durable in 2025, he leads the league in interceptions with a career-high 15 in 14 games.

The Dolphins host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) on Sunday.