Tua Tagovailoa News: Could be at risk of benching

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel suggested Tuesday that he's considering benching Tagovailoa for the team's Week 16 game against the Bengals, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. "The quarterback play last night was not good enough," McDaniel said. "So for me, everything is on the table."

Tagovailoa turned in another uneven performance in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers. While Tagovailoa completed 22 of 28 attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns, the two scores came in garbage time, and he also lost 31 yards on four sacks and was intercepted on a deep ball intended for Jaylen Waddle midway through the first quarter. Prior to Monday's loss, the Dolphins had been riding a four-game winning streak, but the team's recent success could be mostly attributed to a potent De'Von Achane-led ground attack and an improved defense rather than Tagovailoa, who had posted a 3:3 TD:INT during that stretch and threw for under 200 yards in each of those contests. With Monday's loss ending the Dolphins' long-shot bid for the playoffs, McDaniel is exploring a change at quarterback, with Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers looming as possible alternatives to Tagovailoa. McDaniel said he expects to reach a final decision on a Week 16 starter by Wednesday, and even if Tagovailoa ultimately retains the job, the mere consideration of a quarterback change suggests that the 27-year-old may not be viewed as the franchise's long-term answer. Tagovailoa is in the first season of a four-year, $212.4 million extension, and the Dolphins would have to absorb a $79.2 million dead-cap hit in order to get out from under his contract before 2027.