Considering Tua Tagovailoa as a viable option at No. 2

A year ago, Washington drafted quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. He had his ups and downs, but appeared to justify at least a shot at the starting job in year two. He appeared in nine games and completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Over the weekend, Washington head coach Ron Rivera discussed the second pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, and made an intriguing comment about the pick when asked about Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“Everything is an option. We’re not closing the door on anything.”

SB Nation’s Dan Kadar made an adjustment to his latest 2020 NFL mock draft, and offered a reasonable justification for Tagovailoa going No. 2 to Washington.

You can’t dismiss the fact that Rivera was not part of the organization when it drafted Dwayne Haskins last year. And while Rivera said a team can win with Haskins, this seemed like much more of a damning quote.

“He’s not anointed, that’s for sure,” Rivera said during his media session. “I expect him to come in and compete and work, and we’ll see what happens.”

The team will not be hiring a general manager until after the draft, and it seems pretty clear Rivera is in charge of football operations. He would want a quarterback he is comfortable with to rebuild the franchise. A year ago, we saw Arizona trade Josh Rosen a year after moving up in the first round to select him so that they could select Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.

It is entirely possible this is on the table, but I have little doubt Washington would be fine with the Dolphins or Chargers, or whomever making them a Godfather offer for the second overall pick. Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young makes a ton of sense for Washington’s defense, but if someone is willing to give them a huge bundle of picks, a trade could end up making that much more sense.

Tua Tagovailoa is on Washington’s radar, but it could be for a variety of reasons.