The Miami Dolphins named Bobby Slowik as their offensive coordinator for the 2026 NFL season on Wednesday. Alongside new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, Slowik indicated it is currently too early to determine whether Tua Tagovailoa will remain the team’s starting quarterback. However, Slowik emphasized the former Alabama standout still has the potential to rebound after losing his starting role during the 2025 campaign.
Uncertain Role Under New Coaching Staff
Slowik described the ongoing transition as an early phase in evaluating players and organizing the coaching staff.
“I’d say, obviously, we’re way early in the process of this whole thing with the new staff,”
he said.
“There’s new people everywhere. Being perfectly honest, we’re still going through the staffing on my end. That hasn’t quite been buttoned up yet, so we still got some things going on there.”
He further explained that the team remains in “player evaluation mode,” with competition encouraged across all positions, but formal decisions about the roster and strategies have not yet been made.
Tagovailoa’s Early Career and Recent Challenges
Drafted fifth overall in 2020, Tua Tagovailoa quickly secured the starting quarterback position in his rookie season by Week 6 and maintained that role when healthy through most of his time with Miami. His career has been marked by both high-level performance and injury setbacks. In 2022, he missed four games due to concussions but bounced back to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2023 while leading the NFL in passing yards.
In 2024, Tagovailoa secured the league’s highest completion percentage despite missing six games for concussion and hip injuries. Yet, the 2025 season saw a significant downturn in his statistics, including a career-high 15 interceptions—the second most in the NFL that year—even though he did not play the final three games after being benched. The Dolphins finished with a 6-8 record in games he started, marking their first losing season during his tenure as quarterback.
Slowik Praises Tagovailoa’s Character Amid Difficulty
Reflecting on Tagovailoa’s challenging 2025 season, Slowik highlighted the quarterback’s professionalism and resilience.
“What I can say about Tua just from being with him last year,”
Slowik remarked,
“I know last year was a difficult year. It was a difficult year for him without a doubt for a lot of different reasons. And I think what jumped out to me was, like, the grace he handled that with, the way he went about his daily routine through that season, even at the end of the year, the kind of person he was to everybody and to his teammates. Really, I mean, you can’t say enough about how good of a person he was and how he handled that situation is all you could ask for.”
Belief in Tagovailoa’s Ability to Recover
Slowik expressed optimism about Tagovailoa’s ability to bounce back, underlining the inspirational narratives within sports where top athletes overcome adversity.
“What I think is so great about sports,”
Slowik said,
“and really why, you know, a large reason people get into coaching is there’s stories like that all the time. You’re talking about people that are at the peak of their profession. They’re the best in the world at what they do, not just physically, but, like, mentally, they’re some of the strongest human beings there are. And some of the things that all athletes — every year you hear comeback stories — come back from are incredible. So absolutely I think Tua can, he can absolutely bounce back. I think that’s one of the great things about sports.”
Financial Stakes of Tagovailoa’s Presence on the Dolphins
Tagovailoa’s contract considerably impacts Miami’s salary cap situation. If he remains under contract with the Dolphins two months from now, his 2026 salary alone will cost the team $57 million, including $54 million guaranteed. An additional $3 million of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed if he is on the roster three days after the NFL’s 2026 fiscal year begins in March.
If the Dolphins decide to release him before that date, Tagovailoa’s dead money charge would reach $99.2 million against the 2026 salary cap. This figure constitutes nearly one-third of Miami’s total salary cap space and is $42.8 million higher than if he stays on the roster. Some accounting practices could reduce the immediate cap hit to $67.4 million in 2026, with the remaining $31.8 million deferred to the 2027 cap, if he is designated as a post-June 1 release.
Given these financial stakes, Miami has a strong incentive to understand what caused the quarterback’s downturn in 2025 in order to salvage their investment, which includes a four-year, $212.4 million extension signed in 2024.
Slowik on Factors Behind Tagovailoa’s Difficult Season
Slowik admitted that multiple reasons likely contributed to Tagovailoa’s struggles last year, emphasizing the complexity of such situations.
“Anytime somebody goes through a difficult year, it’s always never as simple as one thing,”
he said.
“It never is. It’s always a lot of different things that can go into it, and could I pinpoint any specific area? No, not really. I just know it was a very difficult year for him, and I know that everything he could control and how he went through the year, he did a phenomenal job of controlling those things and, hopefully, he’s able to come out the better end for it.”
Changes in Miami’s Coaching Staff and Offensive Strategy
After the 2025 season, the Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel, who had called plays while Frank Smith served as offensive coordinator. Jeff Hafley was hired as the new head coach following his stint as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Hafley retained Bobby Slowik on staff but elevated him from senior passing-game coordinator to offensive coordinator.
Slowik explained that although the offensive system still rests on similar foundations, it will adapt based on personnel differences.
“Obviously, we’re all from the same tree,”
he said,
“The way I like to frame it is very similar to, like, the bones are the same, the roots are the same. But all the trees grow different, and a lot of that has to do with the players you have on any given team, which changes year to year. I think a lot of people don’t realize how much even within a specific offense, your offense morphs and changes year to year, and that’s dependent on the people you have on that team at that time, and then where it evolves is always part of it as well.”
He added,
“But I would say the starting points are the same. I believe in running the ball, believe strongly in running the ball. I think most of the successful teams in the NFL these days run the ball really well at a high clip. And really build it from there as far as got to win in the trenches. I like keeping the defense off-balance is probably my No. 1 thing as far as what I look for as a play-caller while making sure I marry it to who we have on the team.”
Outlook for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins Moving Forward
The 2026 season will be a pivotal moment for both Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins. With new leadership and strategy changes, the team is poised to reassess its quarterback situation carefully. Tagovailoa’s contract and past performances provide both opportunities and challenges as Miami decides whether he can reclaim his position as their franchise quarterback.
The Dolphins’ ability to identify and address the causes behind Tagovailoa’s setback in 2025 will influence not only their on-field competitiveness but also their long-term financial and roster flexibility. Should Tagovailoa recover fully, his comeback could become one of the notable stories in the NFL’s 2026 season, offering hope to fans and the organization alike.
