What McDaniel's Latest Comments Indicate about a Potential QB Change

The Miami Dolphins’ performance in their 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t good enough, especially in the passing game.

That, along with the Dolphins officially being eliminated from playoff contention, naturally has led to some questions about whether Tua Tagovailoa would remain the team’s starter in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"The QB play last night was not good enough," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday afternoon when asked about a potential QB change. “Everything is on the table.”

McDaniel went on to mention that he hasn’t made a decision on who will start against the Bengals, and that he would likely have an answer Wednesday morning.

Tua’s play hasn’t been good enough for a good chunk of the season, but Miami’s running game revolution and easy schedule masked a lot of the problems Tua was creating for the offense.

Tua’s accuracy, footwork, and decision-making have probably been the most jarring areas of regression this season. He leads the league in interceptions (15), and his efficiency metrics are the worst they’ve been since McDaniel arrived.

“I hesitate to just throw stuff in a bucket and make it that easy,” McDaniel said when asked about reasons for Tua’s regression. “You’re evaluating each and every week and each obligation that we put on his plate.

“I wouldn’t trivialize it as X, Y, or Z. We just need consistency in play and execution. Everyone depends on that, and that’s what I’m after.”

Evaluating Miami’s Options at Backup QB

Obviously, the Dolphins have two options at backup quarterback.

Zach Wilson has been the team’s QB2 for most of the year, while rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers has been the emergency third quarterback outside of one game.

Wilson certainly has more physical upside, but he’s gotten his chance in the league already. Ewers was someone handpicked by McDaniel and is more of an unknown.

It’s also fair to point out that since Ewers is a cheap player under contract, it would be more beneficial to see what he can do as opposed to Wilson, who is set to hit free agency this offseason. McDaniel dismissed that he was thinking about anything beyond the game vs. Cincinnati multiple times.

There’s an argument for both, but McDaniel doesn’t seem to be leaning one way yet.

“The team deserves the best chance to win the football game,” McDaniel said. “That means taking care of the football, being able to make plays, and move the chains. Myself and the staff are getting to the nuts and bolts of how we can best deliver a win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

“That means a lot of things. There are a lot of things you have to do at that position. It’s layered, but the bottom line is that we have to have certain standard at each position…when there’s a better option, it’s my job to attack that.”

It seems like we’ll know whether McDaniel feels like there’s a better option Wednesday morning. However, based on his tone and some of the criteria he listed, it certainly seems like a change could be coming.

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