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Tua Tagovailoa health status should cause the Bengals to take notice

By Steve Rivera

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 19: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks to pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 19: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks to pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looks to be getting closer to a clean bill of health, possibly giving the Cincinnati Bengals another option beyond LSU star, Joe Burrow.

Bengals fans should not forget Tua Tagovailoa and his role in the 2020 NFL Draft. Had he not been injured, the debate between Tua and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow would be hotter than hot. However, the hip injury he suffered against Mississippi State ended his season and career at Alabama, and until now, has had a lot of reasonable questions surrounding his draft status.

The bigger question might be about the first pick, and could a healthy Tagovailoa be enough to sway the Cincinnati Bengals to trade down with a team who absolutely wants Burrow, lock in only on Burrow, or just draft Tua outright. For many NFL watchers and those who have no emotional attachment to the pick, Tagovailoa has always been the better prospect.

Worth considering, is Tagovailoa’s career at Alabama. He completed 474 passes on 684 attempts for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns over three seasons. His career at Alabama provides a greater and lengthier field of success than Burrow’s single season at LSU. While it’s impossible to ignore the Heisman Trophy AND a national championship this past collegiate year, a review of Tua with the Crimson Tide and his performance overall, could be a wrinkle in a possible run up to drafting an already fan favorite in Burrow.

The Bengals literally have an embarrassment of riches wading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Both quarterbacks could be career changing. For the franchise in Cincinnati, moving beyond veteran Andy Dalton and on to a fresh chapter with a first pick like either Burrow or Tagovailoa resets the organization and potentially the AFC North, as both Baltimore and Cleveland have moved onto young QB’s in recent years as well.

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With a likely healthy Tagovailoa entering the debate, what the Bengals do with the first pick will be interesting to watch. The quarterback depth chart will also, as they are probably moving on from Dalton and Ryan Finley was a disaster in his brief audition after the bye week last season.