Mike McDaniel went no holds barred on benching Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is authentic almost to a fault. He's not exactly an NFL-sized human, and when his team isn't winning, McDaniel's quirky personality becomes the target of many outsiders' ire.

But the real way McDaniel relates to his players is a big reason why the Dolphins salvaged some shred of respectability after starting this season 1-6. And it's how he can command respect for benching franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of Quinn Ewers.

McDaniel did not hold back in the slightest when he explained why Ewers, a seventh-round rookie out of Texas, was the right man for the job down the home stretch.

Mike McDaniel asserts Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's lost confidence led to benching

One famous story from the start of McDaniel's tenure was selling the entire organization on Tua's abilities. The young quarterback had his self-esteem shattered by his prior coach, Brian Flores, to the point where he wondered whether he belonged in the NFL.

A film cut-up of hundreds of Tua's best plays stitched together by McDaniel showed everyone in the building what Tua was capable of. Despite persistent injuries and alarming concussion issues, Tua played at a very high level aside from his medical concerns, leading the NFL in passing yards as recently as 2023.

Tua looks like a shell of that player now. Whether it's complacency after being paid so much money, or just a little bit of timidity on the gridiron, or defenses catching on to his strengths/limitations, this isn't the Tua fans got used to seeing when he's on his game.

That became evident when McDaniel watched the film back, triggering the decision to give Ewers the starting nod for Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals and going forward.

It's all but guaranteed that Tua will be out of Miami in relatively short order. The question is, will the Dolphins be able to trade him, or is it easier to just cut him loose and eat historic amounts of dead money?

The latter seems like the cleanest option for all parties involved, a la Russell Wilson's exit from the Broncos.

Read More: Dolphins are stuck between a rock and a hard place with Tua's contract

Plus, nobody was in Tua's corner more than McDaniel. For him to be this blunt about Tua losing his confidence — when the perception of his personality isn't, you know, great — diminishes any minimal trade value he might've had.

McDaniel has made it sound like Ewers is a huge upgrade. Maybe in the sense that he won't turn the ball over as much as Tua, who has an NFL-high 15 interceptions this season.

But hey, what if Ewers is a diamond in the rough? His talent is undeniable. It's a matter of whether McDaniel and Miami's coaching staff can get him dialed in on his fundamentals, mechanical consistency, and ability to read complex defenses at the highest level.

It should be a mighty interesting last few games, which is a win to some degree for a franchise already eliminated from playoff contention.