Getty Tua Tagovialoa in Alabama vs. Duke.
The Detroit Lions could have a big decision to make with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the months ahead, and the choice might not be that obvious in the end according to one analyst.
Recently, NFL Draft analyst Bucky Brooks spoke with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, and was gushing about the talents of Tagovailoa. Brooks went so far as to say he’d take Tagovailoa over Joe Burrow if completely healthy, and explained that the Lions could have an interesting decision to make when all is said and done in April at quarterback.
Here’s a look at what Brooks said in the piece to Birkett on that specifically:
“The Tua-Matthew Stafford conversation is a big one,” NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks told the Free Press on Wednesday at the Senior Bowl. “I think what you have to figure out is, what do you see (from) Matt Stafford in the next two, three, four years? With a back injury and based on how you kind of project his level of play, you may take the young quarterback. If you take the young quarterback, it enables you to build your team differently, to surround your team and spend dollars at other areas to upgrade it. So there’s some advantages to that.”
Stafford has three seasons remaining on his contract, but he turns 32 in two weeks, and missed eight games this season with a back injury.
Beyond that, he also explained that while Bob Quinn is happy with Stafford as the team’s signal-caller, Brooks offered some insight into the upside of making a move like draft Tagovailoa.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn said earlier this week he’s “totally comfortable and happy that Matthew Stafford” will be the Lions quarterback in 2020.
But Brooks said building around a young, cheap quarterback like Tagovailoa, and trading Stafford for additional draft assets, may lead to sustained success.
“I think because of the win-now premise, it may make it a little harder to invest in a young quarterback that high,” Brooks said. “But it would be interesting to see, if they dangled Matthew Stafford on the trade market, what could they fetch back for a franchise quarterback.”
Other reports have the Lions perhaps very interested in drafting a quarterback considering the health of Matthew Stafford, who just came off an injury-riddled 2019 season on the field. Whether this is a smokescreen to drive up interest in a trade or not, the Lions could have a big decision to make in the coming months that could shape the franchise for the future.
Either way, some scouts love what they see from Tagovailoa, which could complicate matters for the defense-needy Lions high in the draft.
Why Lions Could Take Tua Tagovailoa
Could the Lions take the plunge for the pick when all is said and done? According to one top NFL analyst, the answer is yes. According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, if everything checks out health wise with Tagovailoa, the Lions could decide to select the quarterback with their pick.
Mel Kiper on ESPN just now: “If there are favorable medical reports on Tua, the Lions could pick him at #3 overall.”
Naturally, this could be a smokescreen given draft season is typically lying season. Still, there is no discounting the teams potential need for a quarterback.
Detroit was forced to go with Jeff Driskel and later David Blough as quarterbacks after Matthew Stafford’s injury. Drafting a young quarterback could be considered an important step for the team, but the Lions could also sign a veteran backup instead of drafting a talent like Tagovailoa who could make a case to start faster.
Stafford is still entrenched, so it will be fascinating to see what path Detroit decides to take.
Bob Quinn Speaks on Matthew Stafford’s Status
Stafford’s future has been open to interpretation with rumors swirling that the team could draft someone else or move on entirely. Bob Quinn, however, joined SiriusXM NFL Radio and explained why none of that could be the case at all.
“I’m totally comfortable and happy Matthew Stafford’s our quarterback. He’s going to be in full health once the offseason program starts its course. He’s pretty much at full health right now. Talked to him about 10 days ago,” Quinn said in the interview. “He was in the office so he’s feeling great. He’s in a good mindset, he’s excited. Obviously he’s a competitor so to miss half the season was hard on him. But he did a great job with our backup quarterbacks.”
Specifically, Quinn admitted he liked watching Stafford work with the backups and prepare them. That let him know the team is in good hands moving forward.
“Just behind the scenes, seeing him in a different light,” he said. “Since I’ve been there he’s been at every practice and every game. To see him in coach mode was pretty cool to see. He really cares about not only our team and his teammates and his leadership, really helping those other quarterbacks learn our system on the fly when he went down.”
That leads Quinn to feel positively about Stafford moving forward and the impact he might have on the team.
“I feel great about Matthew. He’s going to come back strong and we’re ready to go for next year,” he said.
These quotes would seem to throw cold water on the notion that the Lions would draft a quarterback early or decide to deal Stafford this offseason. Some of the chatter says otherwise, as well as some of the opinions of those involved in the draft.
In other words, stay tuned.
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