Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa opens up about relationship with Mike McDaniel amid uncertainty

During his latest public defense of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel revealed on Wednesday that he and Tagovailoa had "great" meetings following Miami's 31-6 loss at the lowly Cleveland Browns that dropped the Dolphins to 1-6 on the season. 

Later on Wednesday, Tagovailoa addressed those conversations.

Tua Tagovailoa needed to have "tough conversations" with Mike McDaniel after latest loss 

"You’ve got to have that in a relationship," Tagovailoa said about his recent chats with McDaniel, per Alanis Thames of The Associated Press. "It can’t always be, 'Here’s your flowers. Here’s roses. Hey man, you had a bad game? It’s alright, buddy.' You’ve got to have those tough conversations. And I’ve had those tough conversations with him this week."

StatMuse shows that Tagovailoa ended Week 7 with a season-high 11 total turnovers after he tossed three interceptions at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field. Some have suggested that McDaniel could bench Tagovailoa if the signal-caller commits multiple turnovers during this coming Sunday's game at the Atlanta Falcons (3-3). Additionally, whispers have emerged hinting that Miami could part ways with McDaniel if the Dolphins lose to Atlanta and to the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 30.

Tua Tagovailoa accepts blame for Dolphins' struggles

On Wednesday, former agent and current CBS Sports NFL contracts and salary cap expert Joel Corry noted that "conventional wisdom has suggested Tagovailoa will be with the Dolphins in 2026," if only because "Miami's 2026 salary cap situation is less than ideal for letting Tagovailoa go next year." That said, Dolphins ownership may soon decide that Tagovailoa could benefit from working with different coaches if he continues to play like a subpar QB1.

"I go out there with the expectation to help our team win," Tagovailoa added. "When you turn the ball over, and when you turn the ball over the way I have turned the ball over this year, you can’t expect to help the guys win the game. My job as the quarterback is to get our offense going, march down the field, put points on the board — regardless of what that looks like."

As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the Dolphins as 7.5-point road underdogs against the Falcons. At this point, it's fair to wonder if Tagovailoa will play all four quarters of that game regardless of his health.