The Miami Dolphins fundamentally changed the course of their franchise when they benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa before Week 16's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Given how Tua was playing, though, the team had little choice.
Although Quinn Ewers deserves credit for his work behind the scenes to seize the starting job, this was more about Tua's descent from the NFL's leading passer in 2023 to leading the NFL in interceptions.
So what exactly happened? Several factors are at play here. One prominent source's take on the situation, however, goes a long way to explaining what the heck happened.
Scout says Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's physical decline is most to blame for benching
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler did a deep dive on Tua's regression. Perhaps the most interesting nugget came from an NFL scout who noticed the QB's physical tools had seriously waned:
"Some evaluators saw a quarterback who, at 27, was aging too quickly. Despite a concussion history that made him cognizant of taking too many hits, Tagovailoa once thrived when coupling his throwing anticipation and accuracy with just enough mobility to keep defenses honest. He had good enough footwork and twitch to be mobile and make plays out of structure. One veteran NFL scout, however, noticed that Tagovailoa 'wasn't as twitchy or explosive as he was a year and a half ago. His feet and quickness were good enough and could help him compensate for [a] lack of elite ability. You don't see that anymore. He's gotten comfortable.'"
Even dating back to college, Tua was dealing with a problematic hip injury when he entered the draft. He used to be a more dynamic athlete. Now that his moderate physical tools appear to be in decline, the lack of arm strength is really rearing its ugly head.
Tua has been criticized in the past for failing when his first read isn't open. Once Tyreek Hill went down with a season-ending injury early, defenses could really key in on Miami wideout Jaylen Waddle. That forced the Dolphins' other pass-catchers to beat opponents through the air.
It's a tough scene to see somebody who was so electric at the dawn of coach Mike McDaniel's tenure be relegated to a shell of himself. Nobody could've fathomed Tua would earn a second huge contract when McDaniel first arrived, never mind doing so despite his scary history of head injuries.
If any warm-weather or dome team needs a bridge QB, they might be in the market for Tua this offseason. Whether Miami trades him or gives him the Russell Wilson special by cutting him loose with a post-June 1 designation, it's pretty clear Tua's days in a Dolphins uniform are numbered.
Most teams probably won't want to take on Tua's huge contract in a prospective trade, so Miami may need to send a premium draft pick in a deal to get him off the books.
The problem is, unless Ewers really shows something in the next two games, the Fins will seek out another QB this offseason to at least compete for the starting job. A high draft pick could be crucial to either trading up in the draft or landing a Tua/Ewers upgrade via a separate trade.
In any event, as the kids say, Tua appears to be cooked.