The Miami Dolphins’ 2025 season, already teetering on the brink, took another nosedive in Week 7 as they suffered a humiliating 31-6 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. What was supposed to be a get-right game for Miami against another struggling 1-5 squad spiraled into a showcase of offensive dysfunction, defensive lapses, and, most notably, a quarterback controversy now impossible to ignore. The Dolphins, now 1-6, are staring down the barrel of a lost season, and the fallout from Sunday’s debacle could reverberate throughout the organization.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, once the beacon of hope for the franchise, found himself benched late in the fourth quarter after a disastrous outing. Tagovailoa completed just 12 of 23 passes for 100 yards, failed to throw a touchdown, and tossed three interceptions—including a pick-six returned by Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell and a particularly egregious interception from his own end zone that set up a Cleveland touchdown. The performance marked his sixth interception in the last two games and his tenth of the season, a staggering total for a player who entered the year with high expectations and a lucrative new contract.
Head coach Mike McDaniel, who has guided Miami to the playoffs twice during his tenure, made the difficult decision to pull Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. The seventh-round pick out of Texas, elevated to backup after Zach Wilson was declared inactive, took his first regular-season NFL snaps in the fourth quarter. Ewers completed 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards but struggled under pressure, taking two sacks and fumbling twice as the Dolphins’ offense continued to sputter.
After the game, Tagovailoa faced the media and offered a blunt assessment of both the benching and his play. When asked about the decision to sit him, he replied, “Head boss’ decision. He made that decision.” Tagovailoa did not shy away from responsibility for the team’s struggles, stating, “Definitely not happy, not proud of where I’m at with my play, with how I’ve gone about things this year. I know I’ve gotta be a lot better—and I’ve been better for the Miami Dolphins in years past. But this isn’t years past, this is this year.” (ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques)
McDaniel, for his part, did not mince words when discussing the rationale behind the benching. “If you are negatively affecting the football team routinely, then I have no choice but to assess a new player. I also have to coach better,” he said, underscoring the importance of turnovers as the “number one indicator of wins and losses.” McDaniel added, “There are multiple factors in those turnovers, but I know at least one to two of them were extremely preventable from Tua, and he knows that. It just wasn’t good enough.”
The Dolphins’ offense, which had been a strength during McDaniel’s earlier seasons, has looked alarmingly out of sync in 2025—even with star receiver Tyreek Hill healthy and on the field. The unit’s operational issues have been apparent, with Tagovailoa himself previously pointing to breakdowns in alignment and execution. Still, three interceptions and a blowout loss to a Browns team dealing with its own quarterback instability proved to be the final straw for McDaniel.
Former Dolphins linebacker Kim Bokamper, now a CBS 4 analyst, didn’t hold back in his postgame evaluation, calling Tagovailoa’s performance “maybe the worst game I’ve ever seen by a quarterback in the National Football League,” according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Such stinging criticism, coming from a respected team veteran, only magnifies the pressure facing both Tagovailoa and the coaching staff.
Entering Sunday’s contest, Tagovailoa had thrown for 1,213 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on a respectable 69.8% completion rate. Those numbers, however, have been overshadowed by a recent spate of turnovers and a lack of cohesion on offense. Tagovailoa’s struggles have been compounded by off-field tensions as well; after last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, he publicly called out teammates for missing player meetings—a move McDaniel later criticized as inappropriate for a postgame setting. Tagovailoa apologized, but the episode hinted at deeper issues within the locker room.
Tagovailoa’s future with the Dolphins is now a subject of intense scrutiny, especially considering the four-year, $212 million extension he signed last summer. The deal, which averages $53.1 million per year and makes him the sixth-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, carries a massive $56.4 million salary-cap hit for 2026. Releasing Tagovailoa before June 2 next year would saddle Miami with a staggering $99.2 million in dead cap space—a scenario that seems unlikely but underscores the high stakes involved as the franchise evaluates its next steps.
The ripple effects of Miami’s collapse extend beyond the quarterback position. Head coach Mike McDaniel’s job security has never been more precarious. While McDaniel insisted postgame that he is focused solely on “doing my job,” the reality is that owner Stephen Ross and the front office are facing mounting frustration from fans and analysts alike. According to reports, Ross had already grown impatient with the team’s performance before the debacle in Cleveland. Now, with the Dolphins’ playoff hopes all but dashed barring a miraculous turnaround, speculation is swirling about potential major changes to the roster, coaching staff, and even the front office.
Rookie Quinn Ewers’ debut, though statistically modest, offered a glimpse of the Dolphins’ possible future. The former Texas Longhorn played in all three of Miami’s preseason games but had yet to see regular-season action until Sunday. With the team’s record at 1-6 and the offense in disarray, Ewers may find himself with more opportunities as the Dolphins look to salvage something from a season rapidly slipping away.
For Dolphins fans, the defeat in Cleveland was more than just another loss—it was a wake-up call. The franchise, which had entered the season with playoff aspirations and a roster featuring high-priced talent, now finds itself at a crossroads. Will the Dolphins “clean house” and usher in a new era, or will they attempt to regroup behind Tagovailoa and McDaniel, hoping that better days lie ahead?
One thing’s for certain: Sunday’s performance has forced the Dolphins organization to confront hard truths about its direction, leadership, and future at quarterback. As the dust settles from the 31-6 blowout, all eyes will be on Miami’s next moves—on and off the field.
