MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- With nothing material left to play for this season, the Miami Dolphins will see what they've got in Quinn Ewers.
The seventh-round rookie will start at quarterback in place of Tua Tagovailoa, who has possibly played his final game for the franchise that handed him a $212.1 million contract in 2024 -- although Miami traveling along that path would be unprecedented in terms of its cost.
A complicated upcoming offseason for the Dolphins adds another wrinkle to news of Tua's benching.
So, what does this mean for the Dolphins, Ewers, and coach Mike McDaniel's future? Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN senior writers Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, and draft analyst Matt Miller answer the most pressing questions.
Why now?
Because, flatly, he's been one of the most ineffective quarterbacks in football over the past month and a half -- despite the Dolphins winning five of their past seven games. Since Week 10, he ranks 30th in QBR and 24th in passing yards. While his play didn't necessarily hurt the Dolphins during their four-game win streak entering Week 15, his performance against the Steelers was enough to influence McDaniel's decision.
Through three quarters against Pittsburgh, Tagovailoa completed 6 of 10 passes for 65 yards and an interception that even McDaniel couldn't defend.
"I think the Steelers had a good plan and early they knew where we were trying to attack," McDaniel said of the play. "I think Tua lost sight of [the cornerback], which is a big deal. He didn't see the hanging corner. He threw it to him out of the break. It's not the ideal play, and matters were made worse by the throw to the opponent."
Tagovailoa leads the NFL with a career-high 15 interceptions this season, and turning the ball over is one of McDaniel's pet peeves. Combine that with the Dolphins' mathematical elimination from playoff contention, and it made sense for the team to turn to the rookie -- who's been quietly impressing behind the scenes. -- Louis-Jacques
What does this mean for Tua's future with the team?
The benching means he's, at best, a bridge quarterback for Miami next year and, at worst, a free agent looking to be a bridge for someone else.
Teams I've talked to in the aftermath of this consider Tagovailoa's $54 million in guarantees immovable via trade unless the Dolphins cover a significant portion of the contract, and even that doesn't guarantee him a market. The play was simply not good this year, and scouts saw a regressing player who was not as light on his feet as he was two years ago. Couple that issue with his concussion history and Tagovailoa could be a hard sell for a team evaluating him as a starter in 2026.
But the Dolphins are only as good as their options. If Ewers performs over these final three games, he will serve as both a starting option next year and a sunk cost for Miami because of his rookie contract. Miami and Tagovailoa could sell a reconciliation, assuming the quarterback rededicates himself to the job and Miami accepts that it's stuck with him. But we saw this script with Russell Wilson -- when a team's done with a high-priced, underperforming veteran QB, keeping him around doesn't make much sense. Miami appears poised to start over with a draft pick or a veteran quarterback signed or traded from elsewhere. -- Fowler
Considering his contract, how difficult would it be for the Dolphins to move on from him?
Tagovailoa has $54 million in fully guaranteed compensation in 2026. That breaks down as a $39 million salary and a $15 million option bonus that needs to be exercised between the first and third days of the 2026 league year in March. Additionally, on the third day of the 2026 league year, $3 million of his $31 million 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed. So if he's on Miami's roster as of 4 p.m. ET on March 13, the Dolphins will be on the hook for $57 million guaranteed.
If they were to release him prior to that date, they'd still have to pay him the $54 million in 2026 cash and would absorb $99.2 million in dead salary cap charges. (They could spread that out over two years if they designated him a post-June 1 release, but they'd still take $67.4 million in dead money charges on their 2026 cap and the remaining $31.8 million in 2027.) If they were to find a way to trade Tagovailoa before March 13, the acquiring team would become responsible for the $54 million in 2026 salary and bonuses, and the Dolphins' dead-money charge would drop to $45.2 million. If they traded him after March 13, presumably they'd be on the hook for the $15 million option bonus, while the new team would take the $39 million salary; the Dolphins' dead-money charge would be $60.2 million.
None of this is even close to ideal, obviously, as it would leave Miami in a terrible cap situation and also without a quarterback. The Broncos took $80 million in dead-money charges (spread over two years) when they released Wilson in 2024, and they managed to make the playoffs last season and currently hold the 1-seed in the AFC playoff field for this season. So huge dead-money charges don't necessarily kill a team's chances. But one of the reasons it has worked for Denver is it found a first-round QB in Bo Nix who could play right away. -- Graziano
McDaniel was tasked with maximizing Tua's potential. What does this suggest about McDaniel's future with the team?
He did. Tagovailoa was markedly improved in 2022 and led the NFL in passing yards the following season. But his durability concerns spilled over into his decision-making to a point where Tagovailoa appears hesitant to take risks with his body -- which is understandable considering his concussion history.
McDaniel did not draft Tagovailoa, but he advocated for his extension with then-general manager Chris Grier, who was fired midseason. It would be interesting to see him develop another franchise quarterback. The results from his time with Teddy Bridgewater, Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley were mixed-to-underwhelming, but he gets another chance with Ewers for the next three weeks. -- Louis-Jacques
What does Ewers' predraft scouting report tell us about what we should expect from him?
Ewers was a three-year starter at Texas, and he threw 68 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions over his 37 career games. He was accurate when able to play from a clean pocket, and the touch and timing that he showed in Texas coach Steve Sarkisian's offense will be perfect for what the Dolphins want to do with underneath and crossing routes designed to get wide receivers in space.
Ewers got into trouble when he had to move in the pocket to make plays or when dropping underneath coverage confused him after the snap. But when he gets into the right read pre-snap, he can carve up a defense -- and that's what the Dolphins will look to do to get him early success. -- Miller
What do the Dolphins see in Ewers relative to the other backup, Zach Wilson?
The Dolphins know what Wilson is and didn't bring him in to replace a healthy Tagovailoa. But Ewers was drafted as a developmental player who now has an opportunity to play valuable developmental reps.
With three weeks remaining in the season, there's almost a win-win scenario approaching for Miami. If Ewers performs well, the Dolphins may have found a potential future starter. If he doesn't and the team loses its next three games, it strengthens Miami's draft position. -- Louis-Jacques
What will the reaction be in the locker room?
Locker rooms typically know when it's time for a change to be made. If Ewers puts the necessary work in, he could infuse some life into a Dolphins passing game that has lacked it over the past month.
Tagovailoa is a team captain but drew criticism from both inside and outside the locker room for his comments earlier in the season about his teammates' attendance at player-led meetings. He has since apologized for his comments but was seen laughing with Steelers' cornerback Jalen Ramsey minutes after the loss Monday night. It's not clear whether that moment struck a nerve with Miami's locker room, but it was a poor look after another disappointing performance. -- Louis-Jacques