In the midst of an ugly stretch capped off by a terrible showing in Monday’s 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tua Tagovailoa might not be the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, head coach Mike McDaniel said the quarterback play against Pittsburgh “was not good enough” and “everything is on the table” when asked about potentially making a quarterback change.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz noted the Dolphins previously considered a quarterback change this season before sticking with Tagovailoa.
McDaniel’s comment today echoes what he said the last time there was a huge groundswell around benching Tagovailoa after a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.
“He just wasn’t good enough, so we’ll watch the tape and change our style of play if we have to,” McDaniel said on Oct. 19. “Everything’s on the table when you go to a game, you fully know that you have the capability to win and get handed a very, very humbling loss.”
Tagovailoa went 12-of-23 for 100 yards with three interceptions against the Browns, his second straight game being picked off three times.
If the Dolphins do make a change, their backup options are Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers. Wilson has thrown nine passes in three appearances this season. Ewers’ lone appearance thus far was in the Browns game, when he finished 5-of-8 for 53 yards.
The Browns game wound up serving as a turning point for the Dolphins. They won five of their next six games prior to Monday’s loss, but Tagovailoa’s performance never really got fully back on track. He threw for 1,094 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions during that six-game period.
Facing a Steelers defense that was without T.J. Watt, Tagovailoa had 65 yards passing and one interception through three quarters. The Dolphins trailed 28-3 entering the fourth quarter when he stuffed the stat sheet with 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami will host the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
