Dolphins Did The Right Thing Benching Tua

Dolphins Did The Right Thing Benching Tua

The Miami Dolphins finally decided enough is enough, and head coach Mike McDaniel is benching starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. I must say, I am shocked by this decision, because McDaniel has always had Tua’s back. He’s propped him up, got him to play good football in his first two years as coach, and advocated that the team give him a new contract over a year.  

McDaniel has come full circle on Tua in making this decision, and it’s the right decision. 

Tua had a career year in 2023 and was in the MVP conversation, but since then, he has totally regressed as a quarterback. This had to be tough for McDaniel to make this decision, but he must see what the team has in rookie Quinn Ewers for the final three games. 

Tua’s liabilities are becoming increasingly obvious. He has never had a big time arm, but he has been trying to force the ball down the field and reckless at times, like Monday Night when he didn’t even read the coverage in which the corner knew there was no one in the flat to cover so he played underneath Jaylen Waddle with a safety over the top and the result was an interception.

Tua has also never gotten better at coming off his first read, and when it’s not there, he holds the ball too long or forces the issue.

Even in the Dolphins’ 4-game winning streak, he looked at best average. He completed less than 50% of his passes in some games, missed open receivers on routine throws, and made bad decisions. 

My biggest frustration with Tua the last two years is when he has time to throw, and nobody is open; he holds the ball way too long and exposes himself to unnecessary hits. He should be throwing the ball away and not make a bad play worse. That is why he got carted off the field in 2022, and it is bound to happen again if that keeps up.

Tua can’t blame his offensive line because they have played very well this year, despite playing backups on the right side of the line for half the season. I can’t tell you how many times this year I have watched games and yelled, ” Throw the ball away.” 

Tua isn’t the most athletic quarterback, but in years past, he could move a little bit. However, this year is much different, and it looks like he has lost his mobility entirely. In today’s game, you must be able to move a little, and Tua can no longer do that. The hip injury that he suffered in college may have caught up with him. 

The bottom line is the Dolphins made a huge mistake giving Tua a new contract a year ago. They should have let him play out the final year of his deal, but instead, the front office caved and listened to McDaniel. 

I know people will say the Dolphins should have taken Justin Herbert instead, and I get it because he is more durable, bigger, has a big-time arm, and can make plays when the play breaks down. This all is probably true, but I haven’t Herbert do anything special on a consistent basis in his 6 years, and people are still in awe of his talent for some reason when he hasn’t produced a lick more than Tua.  

The bottom line is that the Dolphins now know they have to find another quarterback. They are also going to have to go through the pain of getting out of Tua’s contract with over $90 million in dead cap money for the next couple of years.

This will set the franchise back yet again and bring them back to square one at the most important position to any team, and one that hasn’t been filled since Dan Marino retired over 25 years ago. This is another painful lesson for this franchise, and by benching Tua, they are owning their mistake rather than being in denial.