Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera recently said they (the team) are “doing their due diligence” by bringing in LSU QB Joe Burrow and Alabama Tua Tagovailoa. Shortly after, ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said Washington should take Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, and bring him in to battle with current QB Dwayne Haskins.
The bottom line is simple. Drafting Tua makes absolutely no sense for the Washington Redskins, and here’s why.
#1: Just look at what happened last year with Josh Rosen and the Arizona Cardinals. AZ took Kyler Murray 1st overall, while Rosen was still on the roster, and they could have traded him for a potential 1st-round pick prior to the draft, but became greedy and had to settle for a 2nd-round pick (62nd overall) and a 2020 5th-round pick.
If Haskins busts or if Tua can’t beat out Haskins, what exactly is Haskins’ trade value? No team will bail Washington out with a great valued trade, especially if neither can beat each other out.
#2: Tua has had his fair share of injuries in 2 seasons at Alabama, and when QBs aren’t healthy in college, they usually do not stay healthy in the pros (ex. Robert Griffin III, Sam Bradford, Jake Locker). Within a 20 month period, he had four surgeries (broken finger, one for each ankle, right hip), plus an injury to his knee and quad during his sophomore campaign. Even he’s medically cleared and supposedly fine, can his body keep up and prevent lingering injuries from taking their toll?
#3: Washington lacks true playmakers on defense, and passing on Ohio State DE Chase Young, or even Ohio State DB Jeffery Okudah would be a huge mistake. Some of the best defenses in the NFL do not have just one or two good pass rushers; they can come at you in waves, rotating fresh bodies in and out.
Drafting Tu’a would be doubling down on a position that would maybe impact the outcome of a season by maybe 2 games? Where does this put you in the long term? Yes, you have an amazing QB, but does that mean you’ll get the team around him to win a Super Bowl? I don’t think so. You need a well-rounded team to win in this league.
#4: Bringing in Tu’a with Haskins would cause unnecessary locker room drama, especially when the team is trying to turn around the stain their previous regime left behind. Haskins is a 22-year-old who started 7 career games, under one of the worst offenses in the NFL, after being drafted by a terrible head coach who was fired midseason. He was also equipped with no TE, and an offensive line that could neither stay healthy nor consistently block for him.
#5: Was Dwayne’s rookie season good? No, he at times struggled, but he got better as the season went on. In his starts, he threw 1225 yards, 7 TDs, 3 INTs, on 59% completion, while going 2-5 in those games. How many raw QB prospects come in and hit immediately? It’s very rare. So, why shouldn’t he be given a chance to develop?
Peyton Manning, one of the greatest QBs of all time, threw 26 TDs and 28 INTs in his rookie season, while completing less than 60% of his passes, and he went on to finish as the NFL’s all-time leader in both passing yards and TDs. Not saying Haskins will live up to those records, but he needs time and the right coaching staff around him. He can really throw the ball and become something special.