Report: Dolphins benching Tua, giving Ewers 1st start vs. Bengals

The Miami Dolphins are benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft, will reportedly start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Head coach Mike McDaniel hinted at the possibility of sitting Tagovailoa in the wake of Miami's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I think the quarterback play last night was not good enough, and so for me, everything's on the table," McDaniel said Tuesday.

Tagovailoa finished Monday's game with 253 passing yards but had just 65 entering the fourth quarter. The Dolphins had three points in the first three quarters before adding two touchdowns in the final frame when the game was out of reach.

The 27-year-old signal-caller has gone 6-8 this season, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and a league-leading 15 interceptions. Out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in 2025, Tagovailoa ranks 26th in EPA/play and 30th in success rate, according to Ben Baldwin's database.

Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4-million extension during the 2024 offseason. He's under contract through the 2028 campaign and has cap hits of more than $53 million over the next three years.

If the Dolphins released Tagovailoa after June 1, 2026, they would set the record for the highest dead-cap hit in NFL history at $99.2 million, surpassing the $85 million the Broncos incurred by releasing Russell Wilson, according to Rapoport. Releasing him after that date would allow Miami to spread the money over two seasons - $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027, Rapoport notes.

Tagovailoa has made 76 starts since the Dolphins selected him fifth overall in the 2020 draft. He's gone 44-32 with one playoff appearance and zero postseason victories. The Alabama product has dealt with injuries during his six-year career, notably including multiple concussions - one of which sidelined him for four games after a stint on injured reserve in 2024.

Ewers, 22, was Texas' starter for three seasons before entering the NFL. He gets the nod over former second overall selection Zach Wilson, whom the Dolphins signed to a one-year, $6-million deal in March.

The Dolphins are 6-8 heading into Sunday's game versus Cincinnati.