How Will the Tua Injury Alter Miami’s Plans?

Jimmy Bourbon

5 years ago

“Tank for Tua” was the name of the Phins game for a while

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a great kid with a ton of talent. Every football fan found it hard to hear about Tua’s devastating injury this past weekend. With three serious injuries in two years, the slam-dunk future star now has a huge question mark next to that exceptional talent and character.

This is why ‘banking on the tank’ is risky.

Since his season-ending hip dislocation, Tua had a ‘successful’ operation that the doctors said went perfect… Well, as ‘perfect’ as can be expected. Most PPH sportsbook services (www.AcePerHead.com) are betting the injury will certainly lower Tua’s draft position.

The question is how much will all these injuries affect his NFL career?

Before you rubber-stamp it as a certain ‘death sentence’ for Tua’s career, the same was said of ‘little known player’ Frank Gore and his two torn ACLs. So, I don’t see any outcome as definitive yet.

Steven Ross the Dolphins best QB evaluator

Owner Stephen Ross wanted to draft QB Lamar Jackson in 2018. Instead, GM Grier convinced him to go with Minkah. We all know how well that turned out.

Ross has already stated he wants to draft Tua. After last Saturday, those draft plans could be in major jeopardy. Or maybe they have become better?

First of all, there were questions about Tua’s durability before his latest injury. Now those concerns are clear red flags. Not only does he have two busted ankles with titanium in them, but also a dislocated hip as well. This is terrible news for a mobile QB.

Many football fans are aware that the great Bo Jackson had a career-ending hip injury. When the hip dislocates and it fractures off a piece of the cup, part of the hip joint it also disrupts the blood supply to the end of the femur, which is the lower leg part of the hip joint. This specific scenario is called avascular necrosis or AVN and this was the reason Bo could no longer play. The good news is many believe that Tua’s injury was addressed immediately. This means it is less likely that there was any disruption in the blood supply to the femur.

However, AVN can’t be immediately diagnosed because it takes 3 to 6 months to develop. So there’s no guarantee Tua doesn’t have AVN!

Tua could be had later in the draft with a big risk/reward roll of the dice

With the draft about 6 months away, any team that was interested in drafting Tua will likely shy away from drafting him with their top picks because of this AVN risk and his injury history. Also, there’s a chance that Tua himself may decide to use his last year of eligibility and return to Alabama for his senior year instead of entering the 2020 draft.

In the next few months, Tua’s career could go in any direction.

There’s even more to consider.

Phins receiver Albert Wilson had a hip subluxation last season in October, a month earlier than Tua’s injury. Hip subluxation is a serious injury but far less serious than a dislocation. Still, it took Wilson over a year to really get on the field. Even now Albert’s still being eased into the game. So, Tua could be two years away from playing football. That is if he ever plays again.

All of these unknowns wrapped around the known injury history jams a huge monkey wrench into the tailpipe of Ross and the Dolphins’ draft plans.

Even if Tua enters the draft, is he worth our top first-round pick?

I say no way, but all that matters is what does Ross, Grier, and Flores think?

With the Dolphins picking 4th overall behind the QB hungry Bengals and Redskins, top-ranked QB Joe Burrow won’t be an option without throwing multiple 1st Round picks to move up. This could leave Miami looking to Justin Herbert, Jake Fromm, Jalen Hurts… or maybe Tua with one of their two later 1st Round picks. Tua in the mid 1st would be a big roll of the dice, but it could end up being a big hit for cheap?

Either way, it puts Miami in a very sticky situation.

Still, anyone who has watched a lot of football will say don’t sleep on Georgia QB Jake Fromm. This guy has done nothing besides win football games at Georgia and just has the “it” factor. Fromm dots the “i” and crosses the “t” on the leadership qualities that all NFL teams are looking for in a franchise QB.

Maybe Fromm would be the safer bet if they draft a quarterback with their top-pick?

The Phins slam dunk of getting the #1 Overall and drafting a future ‘Hall of Fame QB’ has become far more complicated. This draft is must-watch T.V. for Miami Dolphins fans… and the Tua injury added the cherry on top.

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans’ thoughts about this latest development in our upcoming draft saga?