Critics have been calling for the Miami Dolphins to make changes, really ever since they started their season with three consecutive losses. While it may have been a knee-jerk reaction to bench Tua Tagovailoa after three rough games, his season hasn’t gotten much better since.
Sure, the Dolphins have rallied and somewhat turned their season around from heading toward a top-three draft pick to returning to the fringe of playoff contention. Yet, Tagovailoa still leads the NFL with 15 interceptions (a new career-high), and now the Dolphins have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
On Tuesday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel suggested that he was actually considering benching Tagovailoa for the first time this season. Yet, coaches often say that, only to later backtrack their comments and stick with their starting QB. That won’t be happening here.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Dolphins have benched Tagovailoa. Seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers will take over as the Dolphins’ starting QB for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But that’s not the only change the Dolphins are making. They’ve also released four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Matthew Judon. He will have to pass through waivers, but Judon can now join another team whose postseason hopes are still alive.
The Dolphins inked Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million contract extension in July 2024, and he’s still under contract through 2028. Thus, Miami’s next general manager will have to determine whether they want to keep the QB with a $56.4 million cap hit on the roster or try finding a trade partner for the one-time Pro Bowl QB, though that may be difficult with his contract.
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