Why a Clean Bill of Health for Tua Tagovailoa Would Be Good News for the Jaguars
Maybe no player will create as much of a domino effect on the 2020 NFL Draft as Tua Tagovailoa. The star quarterback prospect from the University of Alabama was once considered a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, but now Tagovailoa's injury status has made his landing spot in April one of the draft's most unpredictable storylines.
Making things even more complicated for Tagovailoa's situation has been the outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the country and world. Due to the presence of the virus, the NFL has taken precautionary measures to cancel all pre-draft visits between prospects and teams, eliminating the ability for teams to do their own medical rechecks on Tagovailoa, who is recovering a season-ending hip dislocation he suffered in mid-November.
Tua's hip recovery has been one of the hottest topics throughout the entire NFL draft process, as the status of his short- and long-term health will be a key question for every single team with a quarterback need.
Tagovailoa originally scheduled a pro day on April 9, but each pro day has been canceled as a result of the virus, adding another layer to the Tagovailoa situation.
But despite the inability for teams to examine Tagovailoa on their own, there has been plenty of positive momentum for the record-setting passer's health as of late. Steinberg Sports & Entertainment president and COO Chris Cabott, whose firm represents Tagovailoa, said in an interview recently with Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports that “Tua is fully cleared and ready to compete without any restrictions.”
Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network provided more updates on Tagovailoa's health status on Thursday as well.
For nearly every team, the status of Tagovailoa's health will have a major impact on April 23. Regardless if a team is in the market for a first-round quarterback or not, where Tagovailoa goes in the draft will impact how the board falls for every team in a big way.
This is especially true for teams who are picking in the top-10, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Jaguars have long-term questions at quarterback, they also have a plethora of holes throughout the entirety of their roster, so they will most likely be looking for the best player available with the No. 9 selection.
If Tagovailoa is healthy and gets clean reports from teams ahead of the draft, this could enhance the Jaguars' chances to nab a top-tier prospect to surround Gardner Minshew II with or to improve the defense. Jacksonville has eight teams picking ahead of them in this month's first round, with several of those teams candidates to select Tagovailoa if he is indeed healthy. These teams include the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins.
With Tagovailoa likely being selected in one of the eight picks before Jacksonville is on the clock, this means the Jaguars have an even better chance of a high-impact player falling to their pick. This could mean offensive tackles Andrew Thomas or Tristan Wirfs, linebacker Isaiah Simmons, wide receivers Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb, or even Jeff Okudah falling to the Jaguars' pick.
We see talented players get selected later than they should because of the demand for quarterbacks every season. Just last year, defensive end Josh Allen fell to the Jaguars because the Giants took quarterback Daniel Jones instead. If Tagovailoa is healthy, this could be a repeat scenario for the Jaguars.
A healthy Tagovailoa could mean more flexible draft options for the Jaguars in one other major way — what if the Jaguars want the Crimson Tide signal-caller?
Tagovailoa with a murky injury report likely wouldn't be an appealing option to the Jaguars at No. 9. They need an instant impact player, and taking a quarterback who is questionable to be able to play in September would be a questionable move to say the least. On the flip side, a healthy Tagovailoa could entice the Jaguars enough to pull the trigger on the potential franchise quarterback in the scenario in which he falls to No. 9.
One way or another, the Jaguars are set up better on April 23 if Tagovailoa is healthy. It simply creates a multitude of options and scenarios for the Jaguars that otherwise would be limited if teams were especially cautious about his health.
Where Tagovailoa lands in the draft is anyone's guess at this point, but a healthy Tagovailoa would be welcomed news for those in Jacksonville, no matter how the draft plays out.
