LA Chargers: Why trading up for Tua Tagovailoa is now more likely
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have made quite a few moves already this offseason, all of which might be pointing to the team trading up to draft Tua Tagovailoa.
The LA Chargers have been one of the busiest teams in the NFL over the last several weeks. It all started with a masterful offensive line swap as the team flipped left tackle Russell Okung in exchange for guard, Trai Turner.
The team franchise tagged Hunter Henry, agreed to an extension with Austin Ekeler and have agreed to contracts with three notable free agents. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. are all joining the Chargers this offseason.
The one thing the team did not do is sign a veteran quarterback and it does not appear like the team is going to bring in any sort of veteran quarterback help. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that the team is not expected to bring in a veteran quarterback after Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers and instead are moving forward with Tyrod Taylor.
This does not mean that the team will not draft a quarterback, however, as Taylor is viewed only as a short-term option to bridge the gap to a rookie quarterback. That rookie quarterback could be selected this year with the sixth pick, could be selected later in the draft or even less likely, could be selected next year.
After the wave of moves that the team has made, it looks more likely that Tom Telesco will get aggressive and trade up in the draft to select Tua Tagovailoa, who is one of two rookie quarterbacks (along with Joe Burrow) that will most likely be an above-average quarterback right away in the league.
There are two primary reasons why this is the case, let’s break them down.