Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill shared a cryptic post in the aftermath of Mike McDaniel’s benching of veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Week 16. The Dolphins come off a 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, in which Tagovailoa went 22 of 28 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once and sacked four times.
McDaniel named rookie Quinn Ewers the starter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. McDaniel announced on Tuesday that he was contemplating the move after saying Tagovailoa’s play was not “good enough.” Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday that McDaniel is riding with the seventh-round pick moving forward.
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Hill, who hasn’t played since Week 4 after suffering a season-ending injury against the New York Jets, reacted to the reports on social media. He posted a popular meme of a black guy making the peace sign before vanishing.
This might mean that Hill’s time with the Dolphins is over. The wide receiver’s future has been a question mark since the end of the 2024 season. Even though he returned to the team this year, many wondered whether he would finish the season at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tagovailoa continued to struggle on Monday. He recorded 65 yards with an interception and two sacks in three quarters. He boosted his numbers during garbage time.
McDaniel had relied on the rushing game while the Dolphins won four consecutive games. Tagovailoa couldn’t throw for more than 175 yards during that span, but it was enough to beat weaker squads.
In 14 games, Tagovailoa has gone 260 of 384 for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. He is posting a career-worst 88.5 passer rating and 36.7 QBR.
The Dolphins are out of the playoff race, but Ewers could show that he can lead the team from now on, and perhaps buy McDaniel more time on the sideline.
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