The Miami Dolphins made a major move late in the 2025 season, benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa following a series of uninspired play. Tagovailoa not only lost his starting position on the depth chart, replaced by rookie Quinn Ewers for the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he fell to the bottom of the chart. Tagovailoa was officially listed on the team’s inactive players list Sunday, with the Dolphins designating him as the emergency third-string quarterback.
Tagovailoa will still
dress for the game and could play if both Ewers and backup Zach Wilson were to be injured during the contest. Otherwise, Tagovailoa, the fifth-overall pick in 2020 and the 2023 NFL passing-yardage leader, will spend the day on the sidelines, watching as Ewers begins a three-week audition to take over as the starter in 2026.
Also inactive for the game is safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was ruled out of the game with a calf injury he sustained during the team’s Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Miami will also be without wide receiver Nick Westbook-Ikhine, cornerback Isaiah Johnson, offensive lineman Kendall Lamm, wide receiver Tahj Washington, and defensive tackle Matthew Butler.
The good news for Miami is linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who was questionable on Friday’s injury report with foot and knee issues, is active and should be ready to play. Brooks leads the league in tackles this season with 155, six more than the Las Vegas Raiders’ Devin White in second place.
The Bengals’ inactive list includes quarterback Jake Browning, wide receiver Charlie Jones, cornerback Bralyn Lux, safety PJ Jules, defenisve end Joseph Ossai, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. Fant, Jones, and Ossai had all been ruled out on Friday’s injury report with ankle issues. Jules is also dealing with an ankle injury and had been questionable, but now lands on the wrong side of the inactive list.
Cincinnati will have wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was questionable, back from a concussion.
