Pressure Point: Ewers shows promise, but Dolphins in full retreat under McDaniel

Quinn Ewers’ coming out party started out promising Sunday for the Miami Dolphins and their rookie quarterback.

Then the focus on a quarterback switch got broadsided by the bigger question hanging over a franchise in disarray.

Never mind, for a moment, who the future at quarterback for the Dolphins may be. We’ll get back to that, but first, what about the coach?

Does octogenarian owner Steve Ross really want to see more of what transpired in Sunday’s 45-21 stomping at home by the Bengals — an opponent that came in 4-10 and eliminated from the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Six days after allowing touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in a brutal loss at Pittsburgh to get dealt out of the playoffs, the Dolphins gave up 35 points over five drives spanning the late second quarter to the early fourth.

📹 Quinn Ewers debut first half highlights

Miami's rookie starter has looked very comfortable, and is 10/12 passing for 109 yards#PhinsUp #HookEm pic.twitter.com/tQlldzwP8a

— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) December 21, 2025

NFL Insider: Ross likely to retain Dolphins coach McDaniel

Meanwhile, the rumor mill of those supposedly in the know has Ross still sold on coach Mike McDaniel and expected to retain him for a fifth season in 2026.

If that decision was yet to be set in stone, it may have crumbled as the Miami defense did in a baffling third-quarter collapse for the second week in a row.

Earlier Sunday on “NFL GameDay,” Ian Rapoport reported that “From everything we understand, McDaniel is expected to return next season. He has strong support from [Ross], and there’s a real belief within the organization that McDaniel can make this work. McDaniel also believes the best way forward is with Quinn Ewers as his starting quarterback … but it raises serious questions about Tua Tagovailoa’s future in Miami.”

We’ve seen enough of McDaniel without Tagovailoa to know what / who the real problem is. Not sure why some are surprised. Tua has had a really bad season by his standards, there’s no denying that. But, as a life-long, long-suffering Dolphins fan, I know he’s going to go somewhere…

— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) December 21, 2025

Ewers’ first start showed promise, but it’s inconclusive whether will prove to be on overachieving Brock Purdy or a backup at best like Skylar Thompson, to invoke two other quarterbacks drafted in the seventh round.

Ewers showed poise. He had touch on his passes and made several clutch throws to Darren Waller and Jaylen Waddle.

“The moment wasn’t too big” for Ewers, was the consensus of McDaniel, and the CBS announcing crew.

Oddly, McDaniel said afterward that he has to look at tape to know for sure, though he has in his mind that Ewers will start again next week.

Too soon for verdict on Ewers as Dolphins QB

Huh? What is there to mine from the final two weeks of the season other than further evaluation of what they may or may not have in Ewers, who has only had a couple of practices with the first-team offense?

So what, would it make sense to switch back to Tagovailoa, who they will try to unload in the offseason, or go with Zach Wilson, who they clearly won’t re-sign?

Ewers, the former Texas Longhorn, led the Dolphins on two lengthy touchdown drives in the first half, the second one giving them a short-lived 14-10 lead. Then he threw two interceptions in the third quarter. Defensive pass interference could have been called on the first pick.

Instead, the Dolphins had one drive unravel after horrendous offensive pass interference penalty against rookie receiver Theo Wease Jr. — it appeared he was trying to avoid contact with a defender — that negated a 32-yard gain by De’Von Achane off a screen pass.

Nonetheless, success in the NFL is often reflected in how a player and team responds to adversity. As often the case, the Dolphins shrank in the moment.

The very next play, tight end Greg Dulcich fumbled after a reception. In short order, the Dolphins were buried under an avalanche of mistakes and inept — or was it disinterested? — play.

Quinn Ewers welcome to the NFL. Tosses it up, this one is his fault pic.twitter.com/wR6N0afoUp

— NFL Interceptions (@interceptnfl) December 21, 2025

Dolphins assured of second straight losing season

No surprise, they are now 4-23 under McDaniel after trailing at halftime. But, as seen repeatedly, the Dolphins don’t just fail, they gravitate to humiliation.

Capping the Bengals’ fifth consecutive touchdown drive was Mike Gesicki, the former Dolphins tight end, making a leaping catch in the end zone and performing his trademark Griddy dance at Hard Rock Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Miami offense was being stymied by the Bengals’ 32nd ranked defense, led by Al Golden, the former University of Miami coach whose tenure on the same field was forgettable and regrettable.

Just as Tagovailoa’s performance regressed this season, the whole team has been on a downward slide since blowing a 14-point lead in the final three minutes at Tennessee on Monday Night Football in December 2023.

They came into that game 9-3 with the inside track on winning the AFC East. Since then, they are 16-20 and have clinched their second consecutive losing season.

They are approaching the end of their 25th season without a playoff victory with uncertainties about the quarterback and general manager for next season — the latter will inherit a mess of top-heavy contracts and little room to operate under the salary cap.

Still, we are led to believe that owner Steve Ross still has unyielding belief in McDaniel as coach, which is baffling.

Hall of Famer Warner critical of McDaniel’s play design

The benching of Tagovailoa and ascension of Ewers as starter evoked lots of commentary and debate over the past week. None more revealing than Kurt Warner’s Studyball analysis of Tua’s last start. Check it out on YouTube.

In a 53-minute film study, the Hall of Fame quarterback presented an in-depth examination of every Dolphins passing play in last Monday Night’s 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

Warner’s premise: “I wanted to go back and break down the game to see how much of the struggles were on Tua. Did he play bad enough to warrant a benching after winning five of the previous six games?”

He examined the blocking and the receiver’s routes, and as well as how Tagovailoa reacted as the plays unfolded.

Most interesting were Warner’s comments about the design of the patterns that receivers ran. On many of the plays they weren’t, in his opinion, set up in a way to stress the defense and provide Tua with an open receiver to throw to.

On those plays, Warner showed how the play could have been designed to achieve those objectives.

Warner’s conclusions are more of an indictment of McDaniel’s play design than Tua’s play as quarterback.

It certainly wasn’t an endorsement for changing quarterbacks while keeping the coach.
Warner ended the video by saying, “You tell me, did he make a couple of bad decisions? Of course he did. Bad interception. Almost threw another interception when the defensive lineman popped out. But for the most part, did you see a bunch of guys running wide open? Did you see a scheme that was giving him a bunch of opportunities that he didn’t take advantage of?

“Again, I understand, there are a bunch of factors on why he’s not playing, and not just based on this game. But I hate it. If I was a quarterback and I had just won five of six, and now all of a sudden we lose one game, and it’s that game with those plays out there on film, and you bench me, I wouldn’t be a very happy camper today.”

The TV cameras did show Tagovailoa smiling and celebrating on the sideline after the Dolphins’ second touchdown Sunday.

Maybe he was genuinely happy for his teammates. Or, perhaps he was envisioning the day he returns to Hard Rock Stadium in an opposing uniform and embarrasses his former team.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.