Snider: "Tasking" for Tua?

Rick Snider on the Tua rise which benefits the Redskins is more than one way.

The Redskins are no longer in the Chase Young business. They’re in the Tua Tagovailoa trade game.

The NFL Combine loves quarterbacks and Tagovailoa has become the “it” player without even throwing a pass. The Alabama passer’s chances at the top of the draft seemed dashed when suffering a broken hip in November, but teams are now loving what they’re hearing after a gregarious presser on Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Tagovailoa is expected to be medically cleared on March 9 and work out for teams on April 9, two weeks before the draft. Unless there’s a setback or stumble, Washington’s No. 2 overall selection will have several bidders.

Washington’s biggest task is to get Detroit (No. 3), Miami (No. 5) and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 6) into a bidding war over the pick. All three need quarterbacks, even Detroit looking past its injured star Matthew Stafford. The chance for three first-rounders is very real given three bidders. That means Washington can’t afford to just take one playmaker when it could revamp a 3-13 team with three.

The best deal would mean swapping picks with Detroit because Washington could then still take Young. Hey, two firsts plus Young is a major win. But if Washington gets Miami’s three first-rounders this season that’s a major haul, too, even if not getting Young because the New York Giants will take him at No. 4.

And, there’s one more twist. Suppose the Redskins decide to keep Tagovailoa for themselves. It’s not like ringing endorsements of incumbent Dwayne Haskins have been steadily coming from the new regime. Tagovailoa is considered a generational talent while Haskins is a work in progress. Maybe the new coach wants his own passer rather than one bequeathed to him.

Well, there’s even one more twist. Supposed Cincinnati takes Tagovailoa or Young and Joe Burrow falls to No. 2. Most likely the Redskins get the same offers or may keep the LSU passer themselves.

The next two months is not just smoke and mirrors. It’s lies and damn lies and the Redskins will put out more disinformation than a Russian Facebook ad. They’ll play it cool, pretending to have a fistful of aces when in fact they’re bluffing with a pair of deuces if not gaining at least one offer. Luckily, the team now has experienced leaders who have poker faces without tell signs. After all, they can always keep the pick and take a potential game-changer in Young.

Miami and Los Angeles will leak stories that they’re OK with taking Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert. And, they might. Miami would certainly be better off taking Herbert and keeping two other first rounders.

But that’s not how this works. Both teams need to recharge their fan base, especially Los Angeles. Tagovailoa fills seats, Herbert doesn’t. If they can’t cut a deal with Washington, then Miami and Los Angeles will negotiate with Detroit for the third overall pick. Tagovailoa falling to Miami at No. 5 would be one of the greatest luck jobs ever, especially since Los Angeles will be desperate to swap with New York at No. 4 to get ahead of Miami.

There will be three quarterbacks taken in the first five picks. The question is whether Washington leverages No. 2 into several playmakers.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Redskins in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks