Are Dolphins Making Mistake Still Starting Tua Tagovailoa?

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced that starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will start on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. Tagovailoa's status had been in doubt after he was benched midway through a lackluster Week 7 showing. The Dolphins are only delaying the inevitable by sticking with him.

The Dolphins were embarrassed 31-6 by the Cleveland Browns. Tagovailoa completed 12-of-23 passing attempts for 100 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions, including a pick-six. It marked Tagovailoa's second consecutive three-interception game.

The Dolphins benched Tagovailoa and brought in rookie Quinn Ewers. They lost the game by multiple scores and fell to 1-6. The Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He completed 5-of-8 passing attempts for 53 yards.

Tagovailoa has been truly dreadful in recent weeks. His 10 total interceptions are tied for the league lead with Geno Smith. Tagovailoa’s completion percentage of 52.2% was fifth-worst across quarterbacks who played in Week 7. It was -12.9 points worse than his expected completion percentage (xCOMP of 65.1%), the third-worst margin of difference between expectation and reality, per Next Gen Stats.

Tagovailoa has really struggled this year. The former Alabama standout has attempted 13 turnover-worthy plays (TWP), second-most among quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Only Spencer Rattler (15) has attempted more TWPs. Tagovailoa's percentage of TWPs is third-worst at 5.2%. Only Rattler (5.3%) and Jake Browning (who was benched, 6.0%) have been worse.

When performing to expectation, Tagovailoa is obviously the Dolphins quarterback who gives them the best chance to win on Sundays. There's been no evidence (training camp and preseason included) that Ewers has starting quarterback potential. Former first-round bust Zach Wilson was recently demoted to QB3. If Ewers eventually replaces Tagovailoa in a lost season, the Dolphins will only get worse.

The interesting discussion is that McDaniel, who is currently making the quarterback decisions, is unlikely to make them this coming offseason. Both McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier are likely headed for dismissal. The once-competitive Dolphins have bottomed out, and it feels like a regime change is on the horizon.

The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year extension worth $212.4 million last offseason. He’s scheduled to earn $54 million in fully guaranteed money next season. If the Dolphins designate Tagovailoa as a post-June-1 release, they'd limit the troublesome penalties to $55.4 million in dead cap in 2026, with an additional $43.8 million charge in 2027.

Whether the Dolphins decide to keep Tagovailoa on the roster or not, it wouldn't be shocking if they have a new starter in 2026. They're currently slated to own the No. 2 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Our latest first-round mock draft has them selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

Tagovailoa is still the Dolphins' starting quarterback for now. He's significantly better than Ewers and Wilson, but McDaniel may simply be delaying the inevitable at 1-6 with another difficult defense on tap in Atlanta. McDaniel and Grier will be replaced this offseason, and somebody else will be making the Tagovailoa decisions that lie ahead.