Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had his first chance to publicly respond to the news that he’s been benched on Wednesday.
The Dolphins announced that they’ll be going with Quinn Ewers against the Bengals this Sunday and that Tagovailoa will be inactive as the third emergency quarterback for the game. Tagovailoa was asked during a media session at the team’s facility about his response to being told about the change.
“Disappointed. I’m not happy about it, but it’s something out of my control,” Tagovailoa said, via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media.
Tagovailoa acknowledged that he has not “been performing up to the level” needed at the position and said he doesn’t know why that has been the case this season. He did say that injuries have not impacted his performance.
Tagovailoa has a guaranteed contract and a $56.4 million cap number for next season, but the benching calls into question whether the Dolphins might still move on from him in the offseason. Tagovailoa said that is also “out of my control” when asked if he thinks he still has a future with the team and that should be a major topic for all involved once the Dolphins close out their season in Week 18.
