NFL Rumors: Tagovailoa Willing To Play Backup To Prescott In Dallas

The 2020 NFL Draft is still months away but several mock drafts have already given scenarios on where the top college football players may end up. At the top of the list is Joe Burrows of LSU, a quarterback more likely to end up with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, there are other interesting names to consider like Tua Tagovailoa of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Tagovailoa is seen by some as one of the next best things to Burrows for NFL teams considering to select a young quarterback. The only problem with the Samoan-American is that he is coming off hip surgery which took place last November. That in mind, teams may factor this in when selecting him. Some will question his overall health but there are people like Tony Dungy who believe he is worth the risk.

Dungy, a Hall of Fame coach and NBC analyst believes that Tagovailoa's hip injury should not frighten teams. To prove his point, he uses a player in the past whose injuries were more about bad luck than brittle bones, the Palm Beach Post reported.

“I remember when I was coaching with the Vikings and Robert Smith was a very talented running back, had been hurt a couple of times and (coach) Denny Green said, ‘He could be injury prone or maybe it’s just bad luck. We’ve got to figure that out.’ ”

Aside from Tagovailoa, another top quarterback to consider is Justin Herbert. NFL teams expected to go for a quarterback include the Detroit Lions, the Miami Dolphins, and the Los Angeles Chargers. But what if Tagovailoa remains available when the Dallas Cowboys are up?

The Cowboys pick 17th and the likelihood of Tagovailoa still being available is a long shot. However, it was mentioned in a previous post that the Cowboys could resort to something that would allow them to move up the 2020 NFL Draft. Team owner Jerry Jones reportedly has plans to make a big splash on the draft day although there is no telling how far they can go.

Regardless, it would be a dream come true for Tagovailoa if he gets the chance to play for Dallas. It would be a childhood dream for him since he grew up a fan of the Cowboys. But does that mean he wants to show up Dak Prescott? Not necessarily. Rather, he would be fine playing behind the two-time Pro Bowler and learn under him, NBC Sports reported.

“I’d handle it the way that the coaches there want to handle it. Honestly, I just want to be able play again. I wouldn’t mind learning under whatever guy that’s the starter. Give me a whole year to rest up and then go back out and compete, but I just want to go back out and play,” Tagovailoa said.