I know the 2020 NFL draft feels like just yesterday, but it’s been six years since the world watched as the league drooled over three of the league’s top quarterback prospects. Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Tua Tagovailoa will forever be linked together (Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts, too), but maybe there’s more to that than many may not know.
Sure, Dolphins fans often wondered what might have happened if the team drafted Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert fifth overall instead of Tagovailoa. I’m sure many wondered what would have happened if they waited to take Love or even Hurts, too.
But now, fans can officially wonder what may have been if the team made a blockbuster trade before the 2020 NFL Draft. A trade that at the time seemed like nothing more than a rumor, or pre-draft smoke and mirrors.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dolphins offered FOUR first-round draft picks to the Bengals in hopes of trading up to take Burrow first overall in April 2020. The Bengals would obviously decline the offer and go on to select Burrow, while Miami would take Tagovailoa over Herbert, Love, or Hurts.
That is all fine and dandy (I’M NOT MAD YOU’RE MAD), and if we’re being honest, something many of us already knew. But the question I have – and honestly, the only reason I thought I should write this article – is this:
Would anything honestly be different if Miami made this trade?
Four first-round picks, despite how hit or miss former general manager Chris Grier was, is still a massive amount of draft capital. That would mean no Austin Jackson, Noah Igbinoghene, or the first-round pick Miami used to move back with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, correct?
How would this team look without Waddle or Hill?
With all the issues Burrow has had with staying healthy, how would he do behind Miami’s offensive line? Yes, he’s got more mobility and pocket awareness than Tua, but that hasn’t seemed to make a huge difference for Burrow in Cincinnati.
Maybe Miami has a playoff win to show for it, but would that be worth going through what Bengals fans are going through right now? I’d probably rather suffer than have a quarterback like Burrow, who may not ever reach his full potential due to injuries.
The Miami Dolphins are ready to move on from Tua Tagovailoa
There’s a ton of speculation surrounding the future of Tua in Miami.
His recent benching makes it seem like the team has finally had enough, but with the $99 million Miami would be on the hook for (if he’s cut), many wondered if he wouldn’t find a way back to being the team’s starter in 2026. Schefter seems to believe his time in Miami has come to an end.
“The Dolphins moved on from Tagovailoa this week and are prepared to move on from him this offseason, according to league sources. – Adam Schefter “
Schefter suggested Miami could follow the Houston Texans’ path with QB Brock Osweiler. Dolphins fans likely recall Miami signing Osweiler as a free agent, but before that, the Texans shipped him to Cleveland along with a 2017 sixth-round pick and a 2018 second-round pick for a 2017 compensatory fourth-round pick from the Browns.
No matter what Miami does, it seems like the Tagovailoa era has officially come to an end in Miami. And for a team that has struggled to find the guy since Dan Marino, I’m starting to run out of hope.
@houtz
What are your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins offering four first-round picks for Joe Burrow? Do you think the team would be better off currently? How do you feel about Schefter’s report that Miami already appears to have made a decision on Tua Tagovalioa and his future with the team? Are you ready for Quinn EWERS!?!?! Let us know in the comments section below!
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