The Miami Dolphins are making a change at quarterback in Week 16.

Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Wednesday that Tua Tagovailoa is being benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Zach Wilson will back up Ewers and Tagovailoa will serve as the emergency third-string quarterback.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero relayed Ewers’ scouting report leading up to the 2025 NFL draft, which highlighted his competitiveness but also pointed out he would face a “big jump” in what he would be need to do at the pro level compared to what the Texas offense asked him to do.

Benching Tagovailoa in favor of Ewers also means the Dolphins are prioritizing a glimpse of their long-term future because Zach Wilson, who signed a one-year, $6 million deal as a free agent in the offseason, has been their primary No. 2 all season, but isn’t being elevated with the reported change under center.

Following an ugly performance by Tagovailoa against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McDaniel told reporters the quarterback play was “not good enough” and all options were on the table for the final three games of the season.

Tagovailoa finished the game 22-of-28 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but the bulk of that was done in the fourth quarter after the Dolphins fell behind 28-3.

The Dolphins had 93 total yards and five first downs through the first three quarters. Tagovailoa’s interception gave him an NFL-high 15 for the season.

Neither Wilson nor Ewers has seen a lot of game action this season. Wilson has taken 23 snaps in three games. He went 6-of-9 for 32 yards in those appearances.

Ewers’ lone appearance was in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. He finished 5-of-8 for 53 yards, took two sacks and fumbled twice in 12 snaps.

The good news for Ewers is Cincinnati’s pass-rush isn’t nearly as imposing as Cleveland’s, so he should have more time to throw and bigger windows to fit the ball in.

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft, Ewers was a three-year starter at Texas. He transferred to the Longhorns after spending his first college season at Ohio State.

Ewers threw for 3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns and completed 65.8 percent of his pass attempts in 14 starts for Texas in 2024. He led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinal where they lost to Ohio State.

Miami was officially eliminated from playoff contention with Monday’s loss to the Steelers. It will host the Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.