At this point in the week, it’s still unclear whether or not Tee Higgins will be available to play the Dolphins.
Via multiple reporters, head coach Zac Taylor said on Friday that Higgins (concussion) will be listed as questionable for Week 16 as he still has one hurdle left to clear the protocol.
Higgins has missed two of Cincinnati’s last three games due to a concussion. He’s been limited in practice this week.
Taylor also noted that defensive end Joseph Ossai (ankle), defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (ankle), tight end Noah Fant (ankle), and receiver Charlie Jones (ankle) have all been ruled out.
Jenkins is set to go on injured reserve, which will end his 2025 season.
Additionally, defensive end Shemar Stewart will be activated and is set to play on Sunday. Stewart mentioned earlier in the week that he planned to play. The Bengals will need to officially get him on the 53-man roster on Saturday.
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins was officially limited in Thursday’s practice ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Dolphins.
Ben Baby of ESPN noted Higgins was not on the field for the early portion of the media’s viewing window for the day’s practice. But Higgins did arrive with his helmet just before that part of the session ended.
Higgins is still in concussion protocol after reporting symptoms following Cincinnati’s Dec. 7 loss to Buffalo. Higgins previously missed the Thanksgiving night win over Baltimore with a concussion.
In 12 games this year, Higgins has 46 receptions for 667 yards with nine touchdowns.
Tight end Noah Fant (ankle) was upgraded from a non-participant to limited on Thursday’s report. Tight end Drew Sample (neck) was upgraded from limited to full.
Defensive tackle B.J. Hill (ankle), defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (ankle), receiver Charlie Jones (ankle), and defensive end Joseph Ossai (ankle) all remained non-participants.
Quarterback Joe Burrow (knee), guard Dylan Fairchild (hamstring), safety PJ Jules (ankle), offensive tackle Amarius Mims (knee), running back Samaje Perine (ankle), cornerback DJ Turner (ankle), and defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) all remained full participants. Via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart said Thursday that he plans to play this weekend against the Dolphins.
If, as it appears, the Dolphins will be moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after the 2025 season, the most obvious offramp entails cutting him on the first day of the 2026 league year with a post-June 1 designation. That would trigger a $99.2 million cap charge to be split over two years, with $55.4 million applying to 2026 and $43.8 million landing in 2027.
A trade before June 1 would result in a 2026 cap charge of $65.2 million, plus whatever portion of his $55 million total compensation package the Dolphins would assume in order to make a deal happen. The more Miami pays, the more they could get (in theory) from a new team.
Of course, they’d first have to find a team that wants to trade for him.
There’s another approach, one that the Texans used in 2017. They could send his full $55 million contract for 2026, with $54 million guaranteed, to a new team along with one or more draft picks.
It was the Brock Osweiler solution for Houston. The Texans unloaded $16 million in guaranteed pay onto the Browns, with Cleveland getting a second-round pick. The payment accounted for 9.5 percent of the 2017 salary cap of $167 million.
If the salary cap increases from $279.2 million in 2025 to $300 million in 2026 (in 2025, it bumped by $23.8 million over 2024), the $54 million in guarantees would count for 18 percent of the 2026 cap. That’s a lot for a new team to absorb, and it would require a lot more than a second-round pick to get a new team to take on the obligation. Especially if (like the Browns with Osweiler) the new team has no intent of keeping Tua on the 53-man roster.
There’s another way, one that would make the Osweiler vibes less obvious. The Rams employed that strategy in 2021, when sending two first-round picks and a third-round pick with Jared Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. As one G.M. explained it at the time, the Rams essentially gave up a one and a three for Stafford, while adding a first-rounder in order to free themselves from the guarantees in Goff’s contract.
All things considered, it will be difficult for the Dolphins to pull off a Tua trade. The biggest question will be whether another team wants him. And that won’t be known until after the coaching carousel comes to rest, with new head coaches and new offensive coordinators in place.
Some coaches won’t want Tua, based solely on the measurables. Others may be concerned about the durability. Others may be troubled by the periodic turnovers. Still, it only takes one coach to believe that he can get the good out of Tua while minimizing the bad.
For now, the signs are pointing to a release of Tua’s contract with a post-June 1 designation. And then he’ll embark on free agency, with the ability to take the league minimum on a one-year deal for $1.3 million and to stick the Dolphins for the rest of the $54 million he’ll make, whether he’s on the Dolphins, on another team, or not playing at all.
That’s the likely bottom line for a new team. One year, $1.3 million. For a guy who received a $53.1 million contract just last year from the Dolphins.
Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers will make the first start of his NFL career on Sunday, and he says it’s what he’s been working for his entire life.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Ewers said. “I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to play in the NFL, and for that to be coming is truly a blessing. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel decided yesterday to bench Tua Tagovailoa and make Ewers the starter. Ewers said that he knows how Tagovailoa feels because Ewers himself was benched for Arch Manning during Texas’s loss to Georgia last year. Ewers appreciates Tagovailoa being a good teammate.
“In Tua’s shoes, it’s tough. I was benched int he middle of a game last year so I know how he feels and it’s a bad feeling,” Ewers said. “He’s been really helpful in a tough situation, and I know a frustrating situation that he’s in.”
Sunday’s game against the Bengals is meaningless to the playoff race, as both teams are mathematically eliminated. But it’s meaningful for Ewers, who gets to accomplish his dream of being an NFL starter — and perhaps show the Dolphins that he deserves consideration to be their starter in 2026 as well.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel explained his decision to bench Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers, because the rookie gives the team “the best chance.” Zach Wilson, who was and will remain the No. 2 quarterback after being leap-frogged by Ewers, doesn’t agree.
Wilson admitted he is “frustrated” and “maybe a little confused as well” at not getting the start against the Bengals on Sunday.
“Of course, I would love to play,” Wilson said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I can’t control that. My job is to go out and do the best I can. Keep preparing, . . . getting better, supporting Quinn. Excited for him to get his first start.”
Wilson got an explanation from McDaniel, but it doesn’t sound like it did much to satisfy Wilson.
“A little bit [of an explanation]. There’s still confusion there,” Wilson said. “But you know what? That’s how it goes sometimes.”
Wilson will remain the backup, with Tagovailoa serving as the emergency third quarterback. Wilson vows to stay ready, knowing he might get his chance at any time.
“Yeah, obviously, depending on how things go,” Wilson said. “That just goes without saying. It’s always a competition. You would hope all these organizations would want to play the best player and try and win.”
Wilson signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Dolphins in the offseason. He is scheduled for free agency in March and could be one-and-done in Miami.
“It’s definitely been eventful, right?” Wilson said of his one season with the Dolphins. “Guys have been great, and I appreciate the organization bringing me here.
“It’s definitely been tough. I don’t think the season has gone as we all had hoped. Wish we could have pulled out some more wins and things had gone a little smoother. And of course, I would like to be playing, but it happens. So, we’ll go from there.”
