ClutchPoints
Miami’s quarterback shuffle is official for Week 16, with the Dolphins moving forward on the field with Quinn Ewers after benching Tua Tagovailoa following Monday night’s loss to the Steelers. As reported earlier this week, Miami decided to sit Tagovailoa and start rookie Quinn Ewers against the Bengals.
Mike McDaniel had acknowledged the idea was on the table after the Steelers game, saying the quarterback play “was not good enough” and that “everything is on the table,” per Dolphins reporter David Furones. The switch sets up Ewers for his first NFL start, with Miami using the final stretch to evaluate what it has at the position.
And now, per Ian Rapoport on X, McDaniel confirmed Ewers will start and that Zach Wilson will be the backup quarterback. Tagovailoa will dress as the emergency third QB.
That arrangement matters because it shows Miami still wants a veteran option active on game day behind a seventh-round rookie, while also keeping Tua available only if things get truly dire.
The backdrop to all of this is a season that fell apart early and never fully recovered. The Dolphins are 6-8 and officially eliminated from playoff contention after the 28-15 loss in Pittsburgh.
Even so, McDaniel pointed to the locker room’s approach, saying the team was focused on chasing its “best football” and that the group “fights,” per Furones.
Tagovailoa also acknowledged the hole Miami dug, calling it disappointing but noting that the early-season start made everything harder once the playoff picture tightened.
For the Dolphins, the final three games have a clear purpose now. They’re not playing for January anymore, but for the entire next season too. Ewers gets the start, Wilson is next in line, and Tagovailoa is pushed into the emergency role, a setup that turns every snap against Cincinnati into part of Miami’s evaluation process heading into the offseason.
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