A week ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft and there are more questions than ever about the long-term health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call Tuesday, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik shared an interesting perspective on the big fear some people around the league have.
“I don’t think there’s a GM out there that’s worried about Tua playing in 2020,” Dominik said, per Ed Kracz SI.com. “He’s shown in on the videos that he’s healthy, but will he be there in 2022 through 2028, that’s what you’re struggling with (when it comes to) Tua. There are people who out there who feel like he’s going to need a hip replacement and you can’t predict he won’t, and he’s had injuries previously.”
It’s worth noting that Dominik has no reason to lie here. He’s not employed by any team, so there would be no benefit to him participating in the common spread of misinformation ahead of the draft.
On that note, he’s not the only person who believes that Tagovailoa will need a hip replacement, but there’s a chance he might not need it until after his career is over.
We know that there are reportedly multiple teams that have failed Tagovailoa medically ahead of the draft, as well.
With all this in mind, it’s going to be fascinating to see if a team takes a gamble on his talent, knowing it could potentially backfire in a couple of years. It will also be interesting to see how far Tagovailoa might fall, if teams are scared off by his medical history.