Mike McDaniel doesn't commit to Tua Tagovailoa after 3-interception performance: 'Everything is on the table'
It's been a season to forget for the Miami Dolphins. Following a 31-6 beatdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, changes could be on the horizon for the franchise.
Head coach Mike McDaniel remains a popular candidate to be fired, but he could take another key figure down with him before he gets the ax. That would be quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who McDaniel didn't exactly support following a three-interception performance against the Browns.
When asked about how he will regroup with Tagovailoa, McDaniel told reporters "everything is on the table," suggesting the coach could consider a change, per Pro Football Talk.
“Everything is on the table, when you go to a game you fully know you have the capability to win and get handed a very, very humbling loss. There’s no if, and or buts about it, guys need to be professionals and step up to the plate, and every person on our team, if you’re saying it’s me, it’s you. I told the team, that’s what I have to subscribe to and we will be diligent in our cleanup of this game and the opponent for next week, because you’re not just going to win games and our team, you know, we say we want to win games so we have to do the things necessary to win games. Until that happens, we will lose games.”
Prior to giving that answer, McDaniel said his conversation with Tagovailoa will be based on game tape. McDaniel did stress how much Tagovailoa's turnovers hurt the team. McDaniel's concluded, "[Tua] knows that just wasn’t good enough."
Tagovailoa struggled mightily against a tough Browns defense. The 27-year-old quarterback completed just 52.2 percent of his passes, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He took two sacks in the game and was eventually replaced by backup Quinn Ewers with the Dolphins down late.
Through the team's first seven games, Tagovailoa has thrown for 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. His interception rate is easily a career-high and his yards gained per attempt is his worst since his rookie year. While there's no guarantee Ewers will perform better, McDaniel could be looking for a spark with the Dolphins sitting at 1-6 on the year.
McDaniel, however, may not get that chance. The coach came into Week 7 seemingly on the hot seat. Following one of the worst losses of his career, McDaniel may not have the chance to make any major decisions ahead of the team's Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He might be unemployed by then.
Even if McDaniel manages to survive another week, benching Tagovailoa doesn't bode well for either man the rest of the way. The McDaniel-Dolphins partnership got off on the right foot thanks to the coach's ability to get the most out of Tagovailoa, who struggled under former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
During the first few years of McDaniel's tenure with the Dolphins, Tagovailoa looked like a potential superstar. He thrust himself into the MVP conversation in 2022 before a concussion ruined his season. Tagovailoa was nearly as good the following season, leading the NFL in passing yards.
But both sides have seen diminishing returns since then. Tagovailoa got injured again in 2024 and is off to a miserable start in 2025.
McDaniel has been a lighting rod for scrutiny after reports emerged that the team's culture was a mess in 2024. Tagovailoa hinted at those same issues carrying over into 2025 after he called out player tardiness following a Week 6 loss.
Neither McDaniel nor Tagovailoa seems destined to stick with the franchise for much longer. McDaniel's postgame comments make it clear changes need to be made. Whether he's the one to make them will likely be determined in the next 24 hours or so.