Now is the time to sit Tua

[Pappy13]

Let's be honest, even if the Dolphins were to win all of their remaining games they are unlikely to make the playoffs and with the way that Tua has been playing lately, it's time to see what you have in either Ewers or Wilson. Personally, I'd rather see Ewers than Wilson, but both deserve a chance to play some meaningful football this year. Don't wait till the last game of the season to put them in, give them at least 2 or 3 starts each. If one isn't coming along try the other one. It's time. The playoffs are out of the question and honestly, losing a couple more games this season isn't going to hurt anything. We need to know if one or the other is starter material or if they are just backups because if they are, then Miami needs to draft Tua's replacement in the upcoming draft. The only way you're going to find out is give them 2 or 3 starts and see what they have and how the team reacts to them playing.

[Spider-Dan]

1) The playoffs aren't "out of the question" until the team is eliminated.  Giving up on a season during a win streak is unimaginably corrosive and demoralizing.
2) Tua is going to be on the team in 2026 regardless.  If he's healthy for the next 23 games (which would make two full seasons in a row) then... great!  Find THAT out instead.

Wilson will be relatively cheap regardless, and "We need to give up on our season so we can find out if this seventh-round pick has what it takes to be our franchise QB" is not a question that should be uttered by any serious GM.  Seventh-round picks are a dime a dozen.

[CF DolFan]

1) The playoffs aren't "out of the question" until the team is eliminated.  Giving up on a season during a win streak is unimaginably corrosive and demoralizing.
2) Tua is going to be on the team in 2026 regardless.  If he's healthy for the next 23 games (which would make two full seasons in a row) then... great!  Find THAT out instead.

Wilson will be relatively cheap regardless, and "We need to give up on our season so we can find out if this seventh-round pick has what it takes to be our franchise QB" is not a question that should be uttered by any serious GM.  Seventh-round picks are a dime a dozen.

So are 6th round QBs but look what happened when Brady was given a chance to replace a very good QB. Ewers lost by 3 in overtime to Georgia throwing for almost 360 yards in the SEC Championship. I really don't undertsand why he dropped like he did but he at least deserves a shot before we move on from him. He was outplaying Zach Wilson in the preseason as a rookie.  

With that said I don't see them replaceing Tua while we still have a shot. Not because of performance as Tua's 55 QBR wouldn't be too hard to duplicate, but because Mike has no balls to make the tough calls.

[Pappy13]

1) The playoffs aren't "out of the question" until the team is eliminated.  Giving up on a season during a win streak is unimaginably corrosive and demoralizing.

Well I wouldn't consider replacing Tua giving up on the season. It's possible that Miami's chances at the playoffs would increase with a QB change. Tua has been that bad for weeks now. Miami has been winning despite Tua rather than because of him. If the Dolphins do make the playoffs, maybe another QB should be taking the snaps.

2) Tua is going to be on the team in 2026 regardless.  If he's healthy for the next 23 games (which would make two full seasons in a row) then... great!  Find THAT out instead.

I agree that Tua is going to be on the team in 2026, but we need to be grooming his replacement during that time. It's clear that even if Tua is healthy that he's not the future of this franchise. His limitations are too many and his contract is counter productive. They HAVE to move on from him in 2027 regardless.

Wilson will be relatively cheap regardless, and "We need to give up on our season so we can find out if this seventh-round pick has what it takes to be our franchise QB" is not a question that should be uttered by any serious GM.  Seventh-round picks are a dime a dozen.

As I said, I don't consider giving another QB a shot giving up on the season. The way that Tua is playing, I wouldn't be surprised if Wilson or Ewers is as good if not better. Frankly if Wilson is not better than Tua at this point, I don't want him as the backup in 2026. I'd like to know if Ewers should be the backup in 2026. We won't know till we see them play and I'd rather that be this year than next year. Besides we don't have a GM right now, we have an "interim GM". Are you suggesting that we don't replace the "interim GM" at the end of the season or at the very least look for another one?

[Spider-Dan]

Well I wouldn't consider replacing Tua giving up on the season.

Your first words were "Let's be honest, even if the Dolphins were to win all of their remaining games they are unlikely to make the playoffs and with the way that Tua has been playing lately, it's time to see what you have in either Ewers or Wilson." So it's very obvious this plan is giving up on the season, otherwise you wouldn't be saying the playoffs are unlikely even if the team wins out; you would have said the team desperately needs to win to stay in the playoff hunt, therefore Tua needs to be replaced.  But no one - especially not the players - would buy that you are inserting a 7th-round pick (or: Zach Wilson) because you want to win now.  That's just absurd.

[Spider-Dan]

So are 6th round QBs but look what happened when Brady was given a chance to replace a very good QB.

"Kurt Warner was bagging groceries before he became the league MVP for the Rams and a Hall of Famer, so the Dolphins should scour every Publix for their next starting QB"

Ewers lost by 3 in overtime to Georgia throwing for almost 360 yards in the SEC Championship.

Tua actually won the national championship so I'm not sure why we're talking about what these players did in college.

[Sibster]

Tua actually won the national championship so I'm not sure why we're talking about what these players did in college.

A lot of great college QBs couldn't hack it in the pros.   College is a whole different animal.   You can get away with gimmick play in college.   You can't in the NFL.  Everyone has the ability.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

More than one thing can be true at once. 

1.  The Dolphins are unlikely to make the playoffs regardless of who their quarterback is.

2.  Ewers gives the Dolphins a better chance at making the playoffs than Tua. 

Tua is a good but not great QB.  It is possible for a team to win the superbowl with him, but no team is going to win a superbowl because of him.  (Build a good defense around him and he is good enough to win games, but he is not good enough for a team to expect him be the reason for a win.  He is more Brad Johnson than Peyton Manning.  For this reason I consider Tua overpaid.  He could be part of a championship team if you spend money on getting a great defense, but not a team in which he is the highest paid player on the team.)

I have seen enough tape of Tau to know he should lead the Dolphins to a victory over the Jets.  But I have also seen enough of him to know he isn't going to sweep Steelers, Bucs and Patriots.  Ewers probably can't either.  Odds are Tau is better than Ewers, but we don't know.  We know what Tau can and can't do.  We don't know what Ewers can do.

[masterfins]

Let's be honest, even if the Dolphins were to win all of their remaining games they are unlikely to make the playoffs and with the way that Tua has been playing lately, it's time to see what you have in either Ewers or Wilson. Personally, I'd rather see Ewers than Wilson, but both deserve a chance to play some meaningful football this year. Don't wait till the last game of the season to put them in, give them at least 2 or 3 starts each. If one isn't coming along try the other one. It's time. The playoffs are out of the question and honestly, losing a couple more games this season isn't going to hurt anything. We need to know if one or the other is starter material or if they are just backups because if they are, then Miami needs to draft Tua's replacement in the upcoming draft. The only way you're going to find out is give them 2 or 3 starts and see what they have and how the team reacts to them playing.

While I agree with you, it won't happen.  McDaniel is fighting for his job and Tua gives them the best chance of winning games (only because he has more NFL experience).  Also, benching Tua would reduce his trade value should anyone be interested (maybe Grier's landing spot).

[Pappy13]

Your first words were "Let's be honest, even if the Dolphins were to win all of their remaining games they are unlikely to make the playoffs and with the way that Tua has been playing lately, it's time to see what you have in either Ewers or Wilson." So it's very obvious this plan is giving up on the season

I guess I see giving up on the season and giving up on the playoffs as different things. I still want to win games, I just think even if we win them all we won't make the playoffs regardless. If I'm being honest I gave up on making the playoffs about week 7. If that's giving up on the season to you so be it, but that's not how I look at it. I wasn't calling for Tua's replacement in week 7 because he wasn't the problem then and because I wanted to see if Tua could turn things around, but he hasn't. Actually if anything he's gotten worse as the season has worn on and the defense has stepped up. Even if we don't make the playoffs, we can still have a productive season in my mind, but now I've seen enough of Tua for this year. I want to see someone other than Tua taking snaps and see what we have with them and see how the team reacts to them. I'm not giving up on winning football games, I'm just giving up on Tua as the QB, 2 different things. I believe the way the team is structured now we can win games without Tua, but unless we actually try we won't know. I don't want to wait till next year or the year after to find that out, much better to find out now to better prepare for the future.

I don't see why the QB is given special status. If the starting left tackle wasn't playing up to your expectations you would replace him. Why is the QB any different? Just for comparison, I thought the defense looked terrible through the first 7 weeks as well, but they HAVE turned it around and many of the players on that side of the ball deserve a spot on the roster next year. If they weren't playing up to expectations, I'd expect some changes there as well.

[Pappy13]

McDaniel is fighting for his job and Tua gives them the best chance of winning games...

Earlier in the year I would have agreed with you. Now I'm not so sure.

[Spider-Dan]

Just for comparison, I thought the defense looked terrible through the first 7 weeks as well, but they HAVE turned it around and many of the players on that side of the ball deserve a spot on the roster next year. If they weren't playing up to expectations, I'd expect some changes there as well.

It's weird to me that you acknowledge that the defense - only one of whom (Minkah) has ever shown the same ceiling as Tua - can successfully turn around their league-worst performance midseason, but Tua is simply unsalvageable and must immediately be replaced with a 7th-round pick (or: Zach Wilson).

[Pappy13]

It's weird to me that you acknowledge that the defense - only one of whom (Minkah) has ever shown the same ceiling as Tua - can successfully turn around their league-worst performance midseason, but Tua is simply unsalvageable and must immediately be replaced with a 7th-round pick (or: Zach Wilson).

I've given Tua 76 games to convince me. For a time he was convincing me and overcoming his deficiencies, but not any more. Some of the things that Tua did so well a couple years ago he's now struggling with it seems. I don't know if that's because he's missing Hill, I'm sure that's part of it, but not convinced that's all there is to it. I think Tua's game always required a bit of seperation from his players for Tua to thrive. If he's forced to throw into tight windows, he doesn't have the arm strength and accuracy to do that consistently and he doesn't have the ability to go off script. He used to seem to trust his arm more than he does now. There's been some talk about his footwork as well, maybe that has something to do with it, I'm no QB coach, I don't really know, I just know it doesn't look good.

It's possible that Tua just needs to regroup and regain his confidence and I'll give him another offseason and next year to get things right, but unless he returns to his form from a couple years ago, his contract is detrimental to the team and he has to go and that means that Miami needs to be grooming his replacement now in the event that happens. Next year is going to be the year that either Tua turns into the Tua of old or he's replaced by the end of the year. They can't wait to replace him in 2027 with a rookie and lose another season.

[Spider-Dan]

I've given Tua 76 games to convince me.

For a significant majority of those 76 games, he's played better than almost every player on the current defense.  Hell, even this season when the defense was playing like the worst unit in the league, no one was saying to bench/cut all of them and see if the backups or practice squad can play.  So as you put it:

I don't see why the QB is given special status.

He has played well in some games the defense lost, and he's played poorly in some games the defense has won.

Next year is going to be the year that either Tua turns into the Tua of old or he's replaced by the end of the year. They can't wait to replace him in 2027 with a rookie and lose another season.

We're still in 2025.  Tua is going to be on the roster next year.

Whatever you may think of Tua, it is considerably more likely that he will be the starting QB next year than Wilson or Ewers.  If the Dolphins decide to move on from Tua, it almost certainly won't be for a QB currently on the team.  Zach Wilson is what he is, and while Ewers could be the next Brock Purdy, he has a better chance of being the next Skylar Thompson.

[masterfins]

They can't wait to replace him in 2027 with a rookie and lose another season.

But I think that is exactly what they will do.  Can't trade him unless Miami agrees to continue paying part of his salary. I would hope to see a true QB competition in training camp next year if McDaniel will let it happen (That's a reason to let McD go) On the positive side there are a lot of young players that have got to see a lot of live NFL action this season and these players have improved throughout the season; I think that's partly the reason for the uptick in defensive play.  Additionally the young guys on the left side of the O-line have been playing together and improving.  From that perspective there are some positives to this season in evaluating other players on the team.