A decision that was up in the air for Mike McDaniels less than 24 hours ago has been resolved, as he decided to bench starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and replace him with seventh-round rookie out of Texas, Quinn Ewers.

The decision has been made that Ewers will start for Miami on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tua won’t even be the backup, as he has been moved down the ladder to emergency third-string and now sits behind Zach Wilson. Tagovailoa wasn’t happy about it, but did vow to help the others prepare to play this coming weekend.

“I think Quinn gives this team the best chance to win,” McDaniel told reporters.

The benching of their main man under center was almost expected, given McDaniel’s statement that his play was not good enough and that he would consider the move. Now we officially see what he meant, as the rookie will take the reins of the team for what could be the remainder of the season.

It has been tough for the Dolphins to truly fight for that top spot in the AFC East, as the Buffalo Bills have held it down for the past few years, and now the New England Patriots are back in the mix as well. With the problems the Dolphins have had in recent years with the injuries Tua has suffered, it’s almost a surprise this didn’t come sooner.

Following an incredible 2023 season for Tagovailoa, he would put pen to paper on a four-year, $212.4 million contract. With that, it leaves in question what could happen next season for the Dolphins, as cutting or trading him would come at a cost, and who knows if McDaniel will even be the head coach in the Fall of 2026.

Before jumping the gun too much, the benching could also be to keep Tua from getting injured at the end of this season, which could impact next season, as they have been eliminated from the playoffs. With his injury history, this is also a likely reason for McDaniel’s decision.

I guess we’ll see what happens for the rest of the season. Who knows? Maybe the Dolphins come out of this with their next franchise quarterback.