As the QB turns: Dolphins bench Tua; to start rookie Ewers … Miami has confirmed that in fact QB Tua Tagovailoa has been benched and the Dolphins will start rookie Quinn Ewers Sunday when they host Cincinnati. Its not clear what the long-term implications are for the franchise, but it appears to be growing apparent that Tagovailoa won’t be part of the equation. Ewers could be the answer, but he is a 7th-round pick who has actually been #3 on the Dolphins’ depth chart all season. All of which suggests that the Dolphins could be another team looking to upgrade at the position at the upcoming draft.
And the Dolphins won’t necessarily be the only team with an established QB which could be looking at a change of direction at the position this coming off-season. It certainly appears for example that Kyler Murray has played his last down for Arizona, while there have been rumblings out of Cincinnati that just maybe Joe Burrow would like a change of scenery. Then there are the LA Rams who could very well like to get younger at the position as Matt Stafford turns 38 the before this year’s Super Bowl. Same for Pittsburgh which could conceivably get another year out of Aaron Rodgers, although at 42 he’s hardly a long-term solution. Of course, there are already several teams with high picks including Las Vegas and the NY Jets, as well as possibly Cleveland and New Orleans, which will be looking at the position with their top pick this coming April.
The problem for all these teams is that it is looking more and more like the 2026 draft is going to be a weak year at QB. Indeed, right now Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, fresh off winning this year’s Heisman Trophy, looks to be the only top 5 lock for this coming April’s top 5, although Dante Moore of Oregon and Duke’s Darian Mensah could make things interesting if either or both ultimately opt to turn pro this winter. Of course, some teams will be available to find something of a solution if guys like Tagaolvailoa and Burrow et all are indeed available either in a trade or free agency, but it certainly looks like it could be a seller’s market at the position at least for this year. Stay tuned!
