Mike McDaniel might be considering benching Tua Tagovailoa

This article was originally published on Larry Brown Sports.

The Miami Dolphins’ latest loss is likely to lead to major changes, at least if coach Mike McDaniel is to be believed.

The Dolphins lost 31-6 to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Oh. Both teams entered at 1-5, but it was the Dolphins who were completely outclassed during the contest.

After the game, McDaniel suggested he was going to make changes and threatened to bench players that were not helping the team. While he did not name names, the obvious interpretation was that McDaniel was sending a warning to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“There’s a lot of guys that will have an important work week. If you are negatively effecting the football team routinely, I don’t have a choice but to assess a different player,” McDaniel told reporters.

Sounds like Mike McDaniel plans on making some personnel changes this week after this dismal showing. pic.twitter.com/FoHECjoQ6Y

— Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot) October 19, 2025

Tagovailoa was awful on Sunday, going just 12/23 for 100 yards with three interceptions. It marked his second consecutive three-interception game, and he has now been picked off ten times in just seven games. He was benched for Quinn Ewers late in Sunday’s game, but that had more to do with the blowout than anything else.

Sunday’s defeat was so bad that it’s fair to wonder if McDaniel will be kept around in order to make those changes. The way the team played, particularly in the second half, did not reflect well on the coach. Tagovailoa, however, has inadvertently created distractions for his team while not playing well. That is a hard combination of things to overcome.

The post Mike McDaniel might be considering benching Tua Tagovailoa appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.