Former NFL 1st Round QB Benched for 7th Round Rookie 

The Tua Tagovailoa era may be over in Miami. 

The Dolphins are benching him in favor of rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers according to a report from NFL Network. 

That marks a major fall for a former first-round pick and a big opportunity for a newcomer who was once a highly-regarded prospect himself. 

Tua Tumbles to 2nd String

Tagovailoa was the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after he starred at Alabama.

He has had his ups and downs in South Florida, leading the NFL in passer rating and yards per completion in 2022 and passing yards in 2023 (4,624) but seeing his QBR drop from 70.6 to 61.5 to 57.1 the past three seasons. 

His average yards per attempt have plummeted from 8.9 in 2022 to 8.3 in ’23, 7.2 in ’24 and 6.9 this season. 

Tagovailoa leads the league in interceptions this season with 15, and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel appeared to lean into the running game to protect his struggling quarterback in recent weeks. 

The lefty surpassed 200 yards passing only three times in the last eight games and five interceptions and five quarterbacks since throwing for four touchdowns in a 34-10 win at Atlanta on Oct. 26. 

He was 22 for 28 for 253 yards and two touchdowns with an interception but absorbed four sacks in a 28-15 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. 

That eliminated the 6-8 Dolphins from playoff contention and might have spurred McDaniel to make the move. 

Next up for Miami is a Sunday afternoon visit from the Cincinnati Bengals, who are also eliminated from playoff contention. 

Who is Quinn Ewers? 

The 6-2, 209-pound University of Texas product has thrown eight passes as a professional. 

His only prior appearance in a game was Oct. 19 late in a 31-6 loss at Cleveland. 

The 22-year-old quarterbacked the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2023 and ’24 finished third in program history with 9,128 passing yards and 68 touchdown passes. 

He also led them to a Big 12 championship in 2023. 

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Tagovailoa was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 quarterback when he signed with out of Hawaii in 2017. 

Four years later,  Ewers was not only the No. 1-rated quarterback but the top overall prospect in his class. 

He opted to enroll early at Ohio State and skip his senior season at storied Southlake Carroll High School in Texas, but Ewers was only a Buckeye for a few months before transferring back to his home state to become a Texas Longhorn. 

With another No. 1 prospect -- Arch Manning -- waiting in the wings at Texas, Ewers reportedly considered transferring to another college last winter before entering the NFL Draft instead.

He ultimately slid down draft boards because of a lack of athleticism and questions about his ability to consistently read defenses, but some view him as a wild card who could still hit it big because of his arm talent.