Dolphins' future looks even bleaker after loss to Browns

Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit (9) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Dolphins' future looks even bleaker after Tua Tagovailoa's stinker against Browns

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 5:59 PM ET

One of the few reasons Tua Tagovailoa remains the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins is his contract.

In July 2024, Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4M contract with $167.1M guaranteed. The Dolphins should now be regretting this move.

After a Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Tagovailoa drew ire for calling out teammates for missing player-led meetings. He later apologized for his comments. The QB followed that up with one of his worst performances of the season in a road game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa flopped against the Browns

A cold and rainy day at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland set the stage for a Tagovailoa flop. The weather conditions highlighted two things the 2020 first-round pick has struggled to do throughout his career: play mistake-free and push the ball downfield.

Against Cleveland, Tagovailoa finished 12-of-23 passing for 100 yards (4.3 yards per pass attempt). He also tossed three interceptions, including a 34-yard pick-six to Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell early in the third quarter.

Browns pick-6 on the first play of the half!

MIAvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/5SxOTKhtQ8
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

Tagovailoa was benched for rookie QB Quinn Ewers late in the fourth quarter of the 31-6 loss. The seventh-round pick out of Texas completed 5-of-8 passes for 53 yards.

"Not happy," Tagovailoa said of his benching, per Field Level Media. "Not proud of where I am with my play. With how I've gone about things this year. I have to be better."

The turnover-filled performance against Cleveland continues a troubling trend for Tagovailoa. Over his past two starts, the QB has thrown six interceptions.

After a 1-6 start, benching Tagovailoa wouldn't be unwarranted for the Dolphins. The problem is, the club doesn't have a clear path out of his contract. If it released him next offseason with a post-June 1 designation, Miami would still incur $11M in dead money (via Over The Cap). And with the way the QB has played this season, rule out a trade before the Nov. 4 deadline at 4 p.m. ET or next offseason, for that matter.

The Dolphins may be stuck with Tagovailoa until after the end of the 2026 season, when his deal runs out of guaranteed money. With that in mind, Miami may have to accept that its future is dreary, much like the weather conditions in Cleveland were on Sunday.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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