As we all witnessed or at least heard about, the consensus number one overall draft pick Tua Tagovailoa went down with a season-ending hip injury Saturday afternoon. While not confirmed, for obvious reasons, teams like Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and Washington Redskins have been rumored to be tanking for Tagovailoa. The question now is will these teams keep the same energy and “tank” for Joe Burrow?
Will Teams Continue to Tank for Joe Burrow Instead?
The Bengals’ Case
The Andy Dalton era in Cincinnati is over. The Bengals had a ton of potential the past several years with talents like A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, and Adam Jones. Unfortunately, it never resulted in playoff success. With Green and Dalton probably gone after this season, the Bengals are in full rebuild mode.
Rookie Ryan Finley made his debut against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Unfortunately, he didn’t enjoy the same immediate success as Gardner Minshew or Kyle Allen. With the Bengals already being in disarray given the multitude of key injuries, it wouldn’t be a reach to draft Burrow given they’re projected to have the number one pick. When the offensive line gets healthy, the Bengals will be far along into a rebuild with Joe Mixon in the backfield. If the Bengals can maintain the number one pick, selecting Burrow may cool Zac Taylor‘s hot seat.
The Redskins Case
The Redskins are one of the worst run franchises in sports. However, a good coaching hire to pair with a potential franchise quarterback could mask the smell of Dan Snyder. Former head coach Jay Gruden reportedly had Dwayne Haskins forced upon him this season. Case Keenum should be holding the fort down but Keenum is 1-6 on the season. Haskins has been named the starter for the remainder of the season but he’s not striking fear in opponents’ hearts.
With Keenum not living up to expectations and Haskins still years away from being an NFL quarterback, the Redskins need a solution at the position immediately. Snyder should take a page from the Arizona Cardinals book and get a coach and quarterback that will compliment each other. Coaches need the quarterback they feel comfortable with, which usually equals additional players available in free agency. Bring in a guy like Matt Rhule to coach Burrow and allow them to grow in the NFL together. Wishful thinking for the franchise, but one can only hope, right?
The Dolphins Case
Let’s call it for what it is, the Dolphins need a quarterback. The Dolphins traded for Josh Rosen and signed Ryan Fitzpatrick. Rosen has been terrible since he’s been in the league. Even though he may be a victim of circumstance, Rosen has thrown five interceptions to one touchdown this season. On the other hand, Fitzpatrick only has a few good games in him each year. That’s probably why he’s on his eighth team in his career. Fitzpatrick has a career 52-79-1 record or a 39% win percentage.
The bottom line is that the Dolphins don’t have their quarterback of the future. If they can find a way to get in position to draft Burrow, the Dolphins should take it. Justin Herbert and Jake Fromm should both be available at the fourth pick but Herbert has been inconsistent and Fromm is just a guy. “Fitzmagic” may have been a curse for the Dolphins’ plan.
The Final Verdict
The final verdict is the Bengals will continue to tank for Joe Burrow. Bengals fans can set their money aside for their Burrow jerseys and paraphernalia.
We’ve seen what Burrow can do. He is making the game look too easy for the most part. Pass game coordinator Joe Brady has been a huge help to him and the difference is clear from last year. However, the game has seemingly slowed down to the point Burrow can stand in the pocket and deliver the ball accurately instead of throwing on a prayer. The LSU offense heavily relies on Burrow as he averages 34 pass attempts per game. His numbers are remarkable with a 79% completion rate, 36 touchdowns to six interceptions ratio, and three rushing touchdowns. He’s legit.
The AFC North just got more interesting.
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