Dolphins QB Depth Chart: Who Starts if Miami Decides to Bench Tua Tagovailoa?

Miami coach Mike McDaniel hinted at potentially benching the signal caller following Monday’s loss to the Steelers.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel hinted at potentially benching Tua on Tuesday. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Dolphins were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Monday night with their 28–15 loss to the Steelers, dropping them to 6–8 on the 2025 season. After briefly quieting questions about the franchise’s future during a post-Chris Grier firing four-game winning streak, Miami has now again woken the beast heading into the final three weeks of the campaign.

Specifically, at his Tuesday morning press conference in Miami, coach Mike McDaniel was asked if the team is considering sitting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The 27-year-old signal-caller is in the midst of the worst statistical season of his career, and was sacked four times by Pittsburgh on Monday while throwing two touchdowns and an interception.

“The quarterback play was not good enough,” McDaniel answered about a potential benching. “And so for me, everything is on the table.”

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So where would the Dolphins turn if they actually follow through with benching Tagovailoa? Here’s a look at the rest of their quarterback depth chart heading into Week 16:

Dolphins Quarterback Depth Chart: Who starts if Miami benches Tua Tagovailoa?

Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers are the Dolphins' other two quarterbacks. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The Dolphins revamped their quarterback room this offseason, signing former Jets and Broncos signal-caller Zach Wilson to a one-year, $6 million contract, while also selecting Quinn Ewers out of Texas in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft. Both have taken turns as Tagovailoa's gameday backup throughout the course of the season.

Here’s a look at what the depth chart currently looks like:

Dolphins QB Depth Chart

String	Player
Starter	Tua Tagovailoa
Backup	Zach Wilson
Third String	Quinn Ewers

While Wilson has served as Tagovailoa’s primary backup for most of the season and Ewers has been designated as the gameday emergency third quarterback, the rookie did briefly leapfrog the former No. 2 overall pick in mid-October—taking over as the Dolphins' second option while sending Wilson to the inactive list for their Week 7 game against the Browns.

Should they move forward with sending Tua to the bench, it’ll be interesting to see who Miami ultimately decides to put under center. On one hand, playing Wilson—who has plenty of NFL experience—would make sense for the success of the team. While on the other, getting Ewers some live professional reps could help guide any potential decision they want to make at the position heading into 2026.

The Dolphins will welcome the Bengals to Hard Rock Stadium this coming Sunday. We’ll be on the edge of our seats waiting see who will line up at quarterback.

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