Tua Tagovailoa won’t play vs. Bengals as Dolphins reportedly make push for Deshaun Watson

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow will make his 2021 debut Sunday vs. the Miami Dolphins, who won’t be playing fellow 2020 draftee Tua Tagovailoa.

The No. 5 overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, Tagovailoa was once viewed as the favorite to go No. 1 that year, an honor that ultimately was earned by Burrow. Tagovailoa had a rocky rookie season that saw him get benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick at one point.

To be fair, Tagovailoa suffered a major hip injury toward the end of his final college season that led to him being limited during his first NFL offseason, which, along with the preseason, was mostly wiped out due to COVID-19.

In other words, one should not put too much stock in Tagovailoa’s 2020 season in terms of his long-term outlook.

However, it sounds like the Dolphins aren't sold on Tagovailoa, as they’re reportedly making a push for Houston Texans star QB Deshaun Watson, per Yahoo’s Charles Robinson.

Additionally, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reports there’s growing chatter in league circles that Watson will be traded in the coming days, adding that the two finalists are believed to be Miami and the Carolina Panthers.

Miami narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year after going 10-6, so having Watson for a full season could not only ensure they don’t fall short again, but also make them a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

For what it’s worth, Miami head coach Brian Flores said the plan was for most of his starters to sit Sunday, so it may be a coincidence that Tagovailoa isn’t playing amid these trade rumors.

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