Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Tua, Wilson, McDaniel, and More

Part 2 of a pre-Bengals game/post-QB change Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Drexler77:

How does Zach Wilson go from being the backup to not giving the Dolphins the best chance to win? Is that mainly because he won’t be there next year or they are tanking? Has to be one of those options, right?

They’re not tanking, not after what happened in 2019 and not with three games left when they’re already won six games. At this point, what’s the difference between picking, say, seventh or picking 13th? Not a big deal. It could be that the Dolphins don’t see him in their plans for 2026 or it could be that Mike McDaniel simply didn’t like what he saw in practice.

From Branden Canny:

You’ve been in the building, do you feel like McDaniel and Tua’s relationship fractured last year when Tua got hurt? You use to see them jiving on the sideline and playing around, but this year I can’t recall a single time they were ever even next to each other on the sideline.

Hey Branden, it’s an interesting point you made and, yes, I do believe to a certain degree their relationship isn’t quite as close and I’m thinking some of the comments in press conferences played a role in that along with the fact the season got off on such a bad note.

From Jason Kirkland:

Do you think that MM has been told that he's returning next season or do the last 3 games actually matter in that regard? To borrow Dante's word, this is such an "unserious" team, so it would not surprise me if he's already been assured. Status quo not being acceptable be damned.

Hey Jason, I’ve stated many times on the podcast my prediction that McDaniel would be back in 2026 and I’ll stick with that with a 75 percent degree of confidence. Now, if the Dolphins completely flop down the stretch, maybe that changes.

From Divinpelican31:

Hey Alain, how much, if any, do you think Tua's future injury guarantees factored into the decision to bench him? Seems like making him 3rd string keeps him out of harm’s way and avoids potential for even larger future cap complications. Thoughts?

For sure, once you make the decision to bench him, there’s zero sense in having him be the backup and expose him to an injury. This also will help McDaniel resist the temptation to quickly go to Tua if Quinn Ewers were to struggle, not to mention the fan demand (from Tuaneers) at home games in that same scenario.

From Rémi:

Hi Alain ! Long time no see. According to what you saw during practices, is there a chance Ewers saves MMcD job and they run the show together next season?

Hey Rémi, what the media is allowed to see during practice in the regular season is about 20 minutes and for quarterbacks, it’s throwing to receivers running routes with no DBs covering. That means you can’t get much of a feeling for how players are performing from practice viewing. As indicated before, I already think McDaniel is coming back in 2026 and Ewers would have to be some kind of impressive down the stretch for him to have a shot at the starting job next season.

From Rich McQuillen:

DE Matt Judon got cut. Any thoughts?

Hey Rich, DC Anthony Weaver was very blunt Thursday in saying Judon simply hadn’t been productive enough and it’s hard to argue with that. Yes, he’s a big name, but it’s not like he was very impactful. Besides, the Dolphins maybe did him a solid in allowing him to go to a playoff team down the stretch, like maybe his former team the Patriots. But, again, it’s not like Judon made a big impact in Miami.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain ! Hope all is well. Doom & gloom may be too strong a phrase to describe the 2025 season, but it's close enough. I watched a lot of the CFB playoffs & got a fan’s view of Ewers. Saw him make a few good passes & some scrambling ability. I dug into some of his draft profile stuff & found a QB who's a couple inches taller than Tua, a little lighter in weight & most disturbing to me is a weak arm, maybe marginally stronger than Tua. Where's the improvement in the position? Agree with Tua benching & IMHO should have been sooner. He's been a shell of himself & clearly seeing ghosts (yeah, I went there). McDaniel/Tua relationship totally broken? Do they draft a QB & Tua becomes expensive backup? Fan base will go nuts if Tua is 2026 starter. In my best Scottish accent, I say " Whut a mess". Thanks for all your tireless work on both podcasts & SI.com.

Thanks as always, Dave. Is the McDaniel/Tua relationship totally broken? No, but it’s probably not as strong as it once was and they’re not longer tied together IMO. Ewers could be an upgrade right now because while he's a bit limited athletically like Tua, fact is right now he’s a step above in both arm and mobility. And I could be wrong, but I don’t see Tua being back on the roster in 2026 as an expensive backup. And for those who point to Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, it’s not the same as having your former fifth overall pick on the bench making $54 million.

From Phinaddictfan:

Will they actually let Ewers attack through the air or will we be seeing handoffs predominantly?

There’s no reason to think Mike McDaniel will want to deviate much from what worked during the four-game winning streak. So, no, the Dolphins won’t be attacking through the air, but at the same time they won’t be shackling Ewers, either.

From Ronal Bhagat:

Alain - thanks for your reporting during the year. I really enjoy it. Two questions for you: 1. Dolphins have had an issue all year getting plays off on time. Really haunted us on Sunday. What is the issue? 2. Why does Waddle constantly jump for balls when he doesn't need to? Don't the coaches tell him to stay grounded? Seems like it cost us a big gain to start the game. But it's a tendency that I noticed all season that never was fixed. Have you ever seen a delay of game when a team is running a two-minute drill? Just another case of terrible clock management by the Dolphins. But was it Tua's fault due to lack of situational awareness or McD's fault for an overly complex play design when every second counts? Thanks for your mailbag answers, keeps things fun even when the season goes off the rails. Again.

Hey Ronal, I haven’t noticed the thing with Waddle that much this year, though I did pick up on that in past seasons. And, yes, I’m sure the coaches constantly are telling him to stay on the ground. As for the delay penalties, there are several factors involved. With the one in the two-minute drill, one problem was that Tua turned to call a timeout except the Dolphins didn’t have any remaining.

From Brandon Quinn:

Tua’s stat lines coming back to exactly where they were pre-Tyreek and a receiving corps that had record-setting receiver separation analytics, ends once and for all this nonsensical debate about whether or not it was Tua or the system, right? Can we finally all agree you were right about Teddy Bridgewater probably having the same year as Tua if given a chance? And the extension pre-5th year option was insane? Most importantly, I’m torn. I really want to see both guys with the 1st team. Can we give each a half each game for the rest of the season?

Hey Brandon, thank you. I appreciate you bringing up my Bridgewater argument because I got so much push-back on it and I’ve never backed down from it. And I love seeing we “can all agree that you were right.” Those are some beautiful words. Lastly, I don’t get the sense you’ll get your wish of seeing both Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers down the stretch because I think it’s Ewers’ show the rest of the way.

From Mark:

What happened between Tua & McDaniel? First 2 years they were buddy-buddy & since it all fell apart. Mike did mention "trust" in his press conference. Was it more about what Tua did off-the-field than on?

Hey Mark, I’m not quite sure exactly what happened, but it’s pretty clear the two aren’t quite as aligned as they once were, which happens often when the results start dropping.

From Andrew Walker:

What are the chances that Tua requires a major operation in the offseason and the league penalizes the team for lack of injury report information during the season?

Hey Andrew, the Dolphins did have Tua on the injury report a couple of times earlier in the season with thumb and hip issues, so I’d say the chances of the hypothetical were bringing up are extremely small, if not nonexistent.

From AdamBackinFL:

Outside of a W, what would you consider a “success” for Ewers’ first start? Not looking like a deer in headlights? Being able to lead a few scoring drives? Etc.

Hey Adam, you mentioned the key thing right away, which is no deer in headlights, not looking like the moment is too big for him. Let’s not forget McDaniel’s offense comes from the Shanahan tree and is very QB-friendly. So the focus with Ewers should be on simply executing what he’s asked even if he doesn’t make many or any “wow” throws.

From Ed Helinski:

What mood do you sense with the Dolphins players since they’ve been officially eliminated from the playoffs? Will we see more players asking for their release?

Hey Ed, I don’t know that any players have asked for their release, including Matthew Judon. Yeah, the players are disappointed, but they’re also determined to try to finish the season on a good note.

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