This was always going to happen.
Tua Tagovailoa was always going to see his name inserted back into the conversation at No. 1 overall alongside Joe Burrow for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Though it was always dependent on Tagovailoa checking out medically…that’s just how talented the Alabama signal-caller is and that’s just how appealing his pro upside happens to be.
With Tagovailoa getting good news on the injury front recently, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah is one of many to suggest the competition is fully underway:
“Is he in play for the No. 1 overall pick? Absolutely…he is a very talented player. That’s a healthy debate that’s going to take place between him and Joe Burrow in draft rooms across the league and if you’re the Cincinnati Bengals, you absolutely have to consider him and do your due diligence not just medically, but in the full evaluation…”
Case in point, Tagovailoa recently appeared above Burrow on an expert’s big board.
Bengals fans with their hearts set on Burrow won’t like to hear any of this, of course. But Burrow’s historic season and Tagovailoa’s absence due to injury made it easy to forget just how good the latter was.
The Bengals will indeed do due diligence on all options during the process. And maybe Burrow ultimately wins out because one part of the equation is the Ohio kid factor — which could help attendance woes.
But Tagovailoa being in the conversation isn’t just to drum up controversy like other silly narratives are (Burrow not wanting to play in Cincinnati comes to mind). Tagovailoa is worthy and will undoubtedly be considered.
