It sounds like Mike McDaniel just threw Tua Tagovailoa under the bus to save his job

No one has been a bigger supporter of Tua Tagovailoa than Mike McDaniel. The Miami Dolphins head coach helped rebuild the quarterback’s confidence and coached him to his best performance in the NFL. Whenever Tagovailoa was under heavy scrutiny, McDaniel would always come to his defense. While the Dolphins have been a roller coaster during the two’s time in Miami, Tagovailoa and McDaniel were always fastened into the same car on the ride.

That changed on Tuesday, when the head coach publicly called out Tagovailoa‘s play. Speaking with the media, McDaniel was asked about the possibility of a quarterback change. The head coach answered that everything is on the table because Tagovailoa‘s play wasn’t good enough in Miami’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

While many people would be in favor of the Dolphins moving on from their current starting quarterback, it’s fair to ask if McDaniel’s decision to suddenly call out Tagovailoa, publicly, is an effort to save his own job.

Miami Dolphins' HC Mike McDaniel’s comments on Tua Tagovailoa show he’s in full self-preservation mode

In Monday’s loss, Tagovailoa completed 22-of-28 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and he was also sacked four times. It definitely wasn’t a good game, as Miami only scored 15 points, but the veteran quarterback has also played worse under McDaniel.

Could Monday just have been the final straw? Possibly. The head coach could be frustrated that Tagovailoa isn’t executing coaching points they’ve repeatedly gone over. If that’s the case, it would make sense that considering a change is on the table.

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It’s also possible that McDaniel realizes he and Tagovailoa are on hot seats. After this season, the Dolphins could be looking for a new head coach and a new quarterback. McDaniel’s comments could’ve been an attempt to send a message to ownership.

Since everyone knows how connected the two have been, getting rid of them together would make sense. McDaniel showing a willingness to bench Tagovailoa could be a way of saying he’s comfortable with moving on from the quarterback — especially if it means he gets to stay employed.

Again, the head coach could just really be fed up with his quarterback’s play, but the timing and the fact that McDaniel hasn’t typically left Tagovailoa out to dry like that could be a sign that the head coach is reading the tea leaves.