The Miami Dolphins are in trouble following a 29-27 loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers in front of 65,592 fans at Hard Rock Stadium. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play particularly well, throwing for 205 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
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The defeat knocked Miami to 1-5. It’s a troubling start to the campaign, not only for head coach Mike McDaniel but for Tagovailoa as well.
Following the game, Tagovailoa told reporters that Miami has “leadership” problems in the locker room. The team captain complained that players showed up late to player-only meetings.
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“I think it starts with the leadership and helping articulate that for the guys and what we’re expecting out of the guys. Right?,” Tagovailoa said. “We’re expecting this, we’re getting that, we’re not getting that. We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late; guys not showing up to player-only meetings.
“There’s a lot that goes into that… It’s a lot of that nature that we have to get cleaned up and it starts with the little things like that.”
Former All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant didn’t like the tone Tagovailoa took after the loss. He suggested the Dolphins should start rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers on the road against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.
“I want to know what part of this he’s going to take accountability for,” Bryant potted on X. “Tua threw three picks today…Tua is third in the NFL with the most interceptions thrown by a quarterback.. If you haven’t said this privately first..then in the media..
“I don’t respect it. And since we are on the topic of respect..I guarantee a lot of the players don’t respect Tua. Tua points the finger and literally has four pointing back at him..If you want to win..put Ewers in!”
Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,008 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. The No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft has underperformed through the first six games.
However, it would be a strong move for the Dolphins to turn over the keys to Ewers. The seventh-round pick has yet to play a snap during the regular season. Zach Wilson is the only other quarterback on the Dolphins to play through the first six weeks.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Dolphins coaching staff does if the window to make the playoffs passes them by. Miami has not been eliminated from the playoffs, but the season is trending downward.
With McDaniel on the hot seat, he (or, eventually, an interim head coach) might decide to see if Ewers can give the offense a boost. It has worked so far for Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants.
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