Tagovailoa enters draft despite injury; Rams fire Phillips
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put an end to the initial question about his future, announcing Monday that he is entering the NFL draft and closing the book on a college career that began with a splash and ended with a devastating injury.
Now the questions will be about where he’ll be drafted.
Tagovailoa is recovering from right hip surgery in November following an injury on Nov. 16 against Mississippi State that ended projections of the start quarterback being the potential No. 1 overall pick. The serious injury made has made his draft status less clear though Alabama team surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain has said Tagovailoa’s prognosis is “excellent“and predicts a full recovery.
Tagovailoa said during a news conference that he’s optimistic he’ll be able to play next season, but said it’s hard to predict how high he’ll be drafted.
“It’s a unique situation, for sure,” Tagovailoa said with his parents and little brother, Taulia, watching from the front row. “A lot of the guys, the general managers, the owners, that I’ve talked to kind of said the same thing. They kind of look at this injury like a knee injury almost, although it’s not. In a way that, OK, are we going to take a chance on this guy or will he be able to possibly do a pro day before the draft and what-not?
“Really, the biggest thing they want to do is just see that we can move and we can just be back to how we were playing prior to the injury.”
This year’s draft class of quarterbacks includes LSU Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. If Tagovailoa had returned to Alabama and looked like his old self, there was still no guarantee he would be the top pick in a 2021 draft that will likely include Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
Tagovailoa became a sensation in the national championship game two years ago. The freshman came off the bench to lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback win over Georgia, throwing the game-winning touchdown to DeVonta Smith in overtime. He led Alabama back to the championship game last season, with the Tide losing to Clemson.
With Tagovailoa injured this season, Alabama lost to rival
Auburn and failed to make the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Other players who announced their intention to enter the draft Monday included Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III, Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus, Virginia Tech running back Deshawn McClease and Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr.
Phillips, 72, wants to keep coaching
Veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been fired by the Los Angeles Rams after three winning seasons.
Phillips announced Monday on Twitter that the Rams are not renewing his contract, and the team later confirmed it. The 72-year-old says he wants to stay in coaching.
The Rams finished 9-7 this season, missing the playoffs for the first time in Phillips’ threeyear partnership with Sean McVay. Although Phillips’ distinctive 3-4 defense again finished near the top of the NFL in many advanced metrics this season, McVay has decided to shake up his coaching staff for a third consecutive offseason.
McVay offered no reasoning for his decision in a brief statement issued through the team.
“Coach Wade has been a veteran voice in heading our defense for the past three seasons,“McVay said. “His wealth of experience, sound advice, and helpful demeanor has been invaluable to our coaches and players.”
Phillips has been a head coach for three NFL teams (Broncos, Bills, Cowboys) plus an interim stint with the Texans and defensive coordinator for seven teams.
Odds and ends
The New York Giants interviewed New England Patriots assistant coach Joe Judge for their vacant head coaching job. The 38-year-old Judge has been a part of five championship teams, winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots and two college football titles with Alabama. The Giants are also expected to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Baylor coach Matt Rhule this week. …
After a one-day break, the Browns are resuming their coaching search by interviewing Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who previously worked in Cleveland. Daboll was the Browns’ offensive coordinator under Eric Mangini in 2009-10.