Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says there will be quarterback competition in 2026
There could be a new quarterback in the aqua and orange at the start of the 2026 season.
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that the role of starting quarterback will be up for grabs in 2026.
“There will be competition for our starting quarterback,” McDaniel said Monday afternoon. “What that is and how that looks, there’s a lot that that remains to be seen. It’s the most important position on the football field, and you have to make sure that you do everything possible to get the best person out there.”
This comes less than a month after McDaniel benched Tua Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers after the former Alabama standout struggled for most of 2025. Asked whether the franchise quarterback currently resides on the roster and McDaniel left the topic open for discussion.
“I would not close the door on that by any stretch,” said McDaniel who added that he and Tagovailoa would meet Tuesday morning. “There are a couple options that I could see but ultimately, we need to create the most competitive environment possible and that means looking at all avenues and making sure that this team is fully suited from a competition standpoint at every position and every job is earned through nothing other than the grass and the play.”
Hired ahead of the 2022 season, McDaniel was brought in with the idea that he could build an offense around Tagovailoa. Early returns showed he could do just that as the tandem found much success during the first few years of the McDaniel era.
Then came the 2024 season. A concussion followed by a hip injury caused Tagovailoa to miss a significant portion of the season, leading to a mandate from the front office.
“To see where he’s come from, from his early time here was impressive,” former general manager Chris Grier said at the end of the 2024 season. “That being said, he needs to be available. He needs to know how to protect himself. You’re going to get hit at times, it’s always going to happen, but he needs to control what he can control. He understands that. Not being available for taking chances and risk is unacceptable to us, and he knows that.”
By the time the 2025 season began, Tagovailoa appeared to be a different quarterback. Some believed the edict had caused Tagovailoa to play tight as he overthought every single detail. Others deemed it as a pure regression due to his significant injury history.
The bottom line: Tagovailoa no longer looked the part of a franchise quarterback, especially considering he finished the season second in the NFL in interceptions (15) despite not suiting up the final three games of the season.
“Quinn, his disposition, understanding that it’s uncharted territory as a rookie starting, but his relationship with his teammates and the motivation, I think our team with him starting at the quarterback position gives us the best opportunity to beat the Bengals,” McDaniel said Dec. 17 when he officially confirmed that Ewers would start going forward.
Although Ewers managed to inject a bit of enthusiasm into an offense that had become way too predictable, he experienced the ups and downs that many rookies face when thrust into a starting role. Still, the talent appears to be there despite him throwing the same number of picks (three) as he did touchdowns as well as the team’s 1-2 record with him under center.
“Quinn did a great job in his three games as a rookie,” McDaniel said, later adding that while “Quinn gave us a chance” to win, “he has to continue to develop as well. If he wants to be the player that I know he wants to be, he’s going to have to grow into that.”
What will ultimately complicate the decision on whether to move on from Tagovailoa is the large contract that he signed in 2024. The uneven play in 2025 aside, Tagovailoa would be virtually impossible to trade considering that he’s owed $54 million in 2026. That would make the former franchise quarterback a potential cut candidate, yet even that doesn’t come without issue as that move would incur a $99.1 million cap hit if done before June 1. A post-June 1 cut, however, would allow the Dolphins to spread out the cap hit across two seasons with $67.4 million coming in 2026 while the final $31.8 million wouldn’t take into effect until 2027.
Regardless of what happens, it would appear that the Tagovailoa era for the Dolphins has come to a close, especially after he told reporters Monday that a fresh start elsewhere might be in his best interest.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 7:18 AM.
