The Miami Dolphins have officially hit the reset button on their season, handing the offense to rookie Quinn Ewers after benching franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For a seventh-round rookie, a first NFL start is daunting enough, but for Ewers, it comes with the added weight of replacing a $212 million quarterback in the Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the veteran still remains helpful for the young player.

“Even within these hours, he’s [Tua Tagovailoa] helped me a ton, obviously, because the guys are used to him being in there. So I have to do some minute things that some of his mannerisms in the cadence and how he shifts people and whatnot, and who shifts on themselves sometimes,” Ewers told reporters on December 18. “He’s been really helpful in a tough situation.”

Although Tua Tagovailoa said he was “disappointed” by the benching, he admitted that his performance hasn’t helped the team. So, he’s trying to help the team by sharing the tricks with the seventh-round rookie (231st overall). Ewers made his NFL debut in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns, completing five of eight passes (62.5% completion rate) for 53 passing yards.

The Phins locker room has also rallied behind the decision to start Ewers. Center Aaron Brewer said the head coach has the team’s best interest in mind. They are already out of playoff contention. The remaining games will give some NFL experience to the rookie. However, McDaniel has not committed to Ewers playing in all the remaining games. He has only announced him for the upcoming game.

The interesting part about these updates is that the veteran has been relegated to third place behind the second-placed Zach Wilson. This has made fans think of a bigger decision coming in the 2026 offseason.

Tua Tagovailoa’s future with the Dolphins is now in serious doubt

This year, the Dolphins quarterback was hit by a hard reality check. In 14 games, he has a career high of 15 interceptions and 30 sacks. The 67.7% completion rate is the third lowest in his 6-year NFL career, with the lowest QB rating of his career (36.7). These things have pushed Mike McDaniel to bench him and look for trade opportunities in the coming offseason.

When asked if he had played his last game for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa said he “can’t predict the future.” The only thing that would serve as a deterrent would be the high salary cap.

In 2024, they signed him to a four-year $212.4 million contract extension until 2028. He is set to earn $54 million next year. If the Phins release him, they will have to deal with $99 million in the dead cap. That will drop by $54 million if they trade him. Given the current concerns about the signal caller’s ability to lead teams, finding a buyer would be tough.

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All in all, things are set to become complicated in Miami next year. Brace yourselves for a series of changes.