The Miami Dolphins underwent major changes during and after the 2025 season.
During the season, the Dolphins moved on from general manager Chris Grier. Then, later in the season, Miami benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the first time since his rookie season. Head coach Mike McDaniel then announced that the move would be for the rest of the season as the team would start seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers.
With Ewers, the Dolphins went 1-2 as they finished the season 7-10. Once the season ended, the Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel. Now, the former head coach has reportedly opened up about what his team will be able to do without Tua Tagovailoa.
Mike McDaniel’s New Offense Without Tua Tagovailoa
Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel joined the Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert this offseason as their new offensive coordinator.
Now, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the word out of the Los Angeles Chargers is that McDaniel will be able to open up his playbook without Tagovailoa. Rapoport said, “We are going to see things watching the Los Angeles Chargers that we have never seen in a Mike McDaniel offense. And, we’ve seen a lot of Mike McDaniel’s offense. We’ve seen what Tua Tagovailoa can do with the Miami Dolphins. McDaniel has gotten a lot of respect around the league for being an offensive innovator. My understanding is some plays, a lot of plays, that he has never been able to call that we are going to see this year because he has Justin Herbert with the arm to do it.”
Rapoport added, “They are going to unleash and unlock so much of McDaniel’s playbook that he has not been able to call for years.”
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins had an opportunity to select Justin Herbert with the fifth overall pick, but opted to draft Tagovailoa despite the quarterback having a severe hip injury during the 2019 college football season. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Herbert with the following pick.
Herbert would go on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and make the Pro Bowl twice. He has led the Chargers to the playoffs in three seasons; however, he has yet to win a playoff game. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa had a pair of strong seasons with McDaniel, including one in which he led the NFL in passing yards.
Miami Dolphins’ New Quarterback
Had the Dolphins opted to stay with Mike McDaniel in the 2026 season, the former head coach was reportedly planning on building his offense around Quinn Ewers.
Ultimately, that did not happen and the Dolphins traded Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars, in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
Instead, the Dolphins’ new front office signed dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis in free agency. The team’s head coach and general manager were both familiar with Willis as they spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Willis also possesses some of those physical tools that could have also resulted in McDaniel opening up the playbook. While the idea of Willis and McDaniel may have been enticing, that would not have been the plan had he stayed in Miami.
Ex-Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Takes Subtle Shot at Tua Tagovailoa