5 reasons the Detroit Lions should draft Tua Tagovailoa

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - NOVEMBER 9: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up before a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 38-7. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

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Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images /

2. They Don’t Need Him To Play This Year

As long as Stafford is healthy, he’s the unquestioned starting quarterback in Detroit. There was some lingering chance he would return from fractured bones in his back late last season, so if the Lions would have had something to play for (besides the highest draft pick possible) he may have been good to go.

The injury-prone narrative from early in his career has faded for Stafford, as he started every game from Week 1 of the 2011 season through when he was injured in Week 9 last year. So he’s not a durability concern, and through that Week 9 contest against the Raiders he was having one of the best seasons of his career in 2019.

The Lions have had a stable franchise-type quarterback for a long time now, even if the team’s success has not shown it.

Stafford is only 32 years old, so he should have plenty of good years left in his career. The Lions are in position to give Tagovailoa what would amount to a redshirt year if there are any ongoing concerns about his health, then they could reap the benefits down the road.

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