Tua Tagovailoa clears critical hurdle in his quest to be a top-five quarterback
It appears that Tua Tagovailoa’s all-important three-month health checkup was a huge success.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported that, based on the Alabama quarterback’s most recent CT scan, Tagovailoa’s hip fracture “has healed ... [and] the hip and its range of motion is good.”
Tagovailoa still will not be cleared for football activities for another month, a source told Rapoport, but assuming he suffers no setbacks, “the expectation is for a very good medical exam at the Combine” in two weeks.
That’s when league-affiliated medical professionals will get their first look at draft-eligible players, and teams can request imaging exams of players with injury concerns. Tagovailoa, who broke and dislocated his hip during a game in November, will probably get the closest scrutiny of any prospect in Indianapolis.
If those exams match what Tagovailoa reportedly learned Monday, he will almost certainly be a top-five pick, and there’s a good chance the Dolphins will need to move up to get him.
In fact, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Bengals take Tagovailoa over Joe Burrow at 1 if Tua’s medical exam is clean and he performs well at a planned private pro day in April. A more likely scenario, however, is Burrow going first and then the Redskins, Lions and Giants will all field trade offers from teams looking to secure Tagovailoa’s rights.
The odds the Chargers will be in the running for Tua went up Monday when they announced they were parting ways with quarterback Philip Rivers after 16 seasons. The Chargers own the sixth pick in April’s draft — one behind the Dolphins.
“After stepping back a bit from last season, we reconnected with Philip and his representatives to look at how 2019 played out, assess our future goals, evaluate the current state of the roster and see if there was a path forward that made sense for both parties,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco wrote in a statement. “As we talked through various scenarios, it became apparent that it would be best for Philip and the Chargers to turn the page on what has truly been a remarkable run.”
The Dolphins have tried to downplay their interest in Tagovailoa since the season ended, with general manager Chris Grier saying at the Senior Bowl, saying “there’s no pressure” for him to draft Tagovailoa.
A week later, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told reporters the following, when asked about Tagovailoa: “I’ve been down there to see him. Tua’s a great player. I just worry about his health.”
But behind the scenes, the sense is the Dolphins want Tagovailoa, and he wants to be a Dolphin. He all but acknowledged as much during appearances here Super Bowl week.
And with the latest bit of positive health news, that wish is closer to becoming a reality.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
