NFL Trades: How did Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts benefit from the massive trade Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins made?
The San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles were all active on Friday.
The San Francisco 49ers started the day with swapping the third overall and 12th overall first-round picks. Miami then sent the 12th overall pick to the Eagles in exchange for their sixth overall pick.
The 49ers won the overall trade among all three teams by acquiring the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. There are two players that benefitted from the trade as well: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
On that note, let's take a look at how the massive trade benefitted both Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts.
How did Tua Tagovailoa benefit from the Miami Dolphins trade on Friday?
Tua Tagovailoa is officially the Miami Dolphins' franchise quarterback. Miami silenced all rumors about selecting a quarterback with their first-round pick. The Dolphins only traded back up to number six to make sure they could land either Devonta Smith or Ja'Marr Chase.
For now, the Miami Dolphins are rolling with Tua Tagovailoa as their franchise quarterback for the 2021 NFL season. The Dolphins have a lot of confidence in the player and for what he brings to their offense. The Miami Dolphins feel if they can add one or two more weapons for Tagovailoa, they could become a playoff team.
The Miami Dolphins' third overall pick was acquired by the Dolphins through the famous Laremy Tunsil trade. Miami didn't need the pick unless they planned on taking a quarterback. Now that Tua Tagovailoa has worked out, the Dolphins traded their pick and got some draft capital in return.
The Miami Dolphins knew that if they sat at the 12th overall pick, they would most likely miss out on both Ja'Marr Chase and Devonta Smith. The Dolphins needed to get back into the top 10 of the draft to land one of the two receivers. That is what led the Dolphins to swap their 12th overall pick with the Eagles for their sixth overall pick.
Now the Miami Dolphins are in prime position to select either Ja'Marr Chase and Devonta Smith, who could be great additions to their offense in the 2021 NFL season.
Not to mention that the Miami Dolphins added former Texans wide receiver Will Fuller in the off-season. With the Dolphins adding Will Fuller and a top wide receiver in the draft, they have a shot at making a playoff run in 2021.
How did Jalen Hurts benefit from the Philadelphia Eagles trade on Friday?
The Philadelphia Eagles have made their final decision on second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts took over from Carson Wentz during the 2020-21 NFL season and was successful. Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts this off-season.
The Eagles were rumored to select a second young quarterback to battle with Hurts for the starting spot next season. Now that they have traded their sixth overall pick to the Miami Dolphins, it gives Jalen Hurts full control of his own destiny.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles added veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to help with developing Hurts this season.
Jalen Hurts can now rest easy knowing the Philadelphia Eagles have turned to him to lead their franchise. The Philadelphia Eagles may not get one of the top two wide receivers, but they are still in the race for Jaylen Waddle, the third ranked wide receiver prospect.
If anyone has any doubts about Hurts' ability to lead the Philadelphia Eagles, they need to watch what he did at Alabama and Oklahoma. Hurts has come a long way since leaving Alabama. He learned a lot in his time with the Oklahoma Sooners and is continuing to improve.
It will be interesting to see how Jalen Hurts handles his new role as the franchise quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Joe Flacco will help a lot during the upcoming season. With the Philadelphia Eagles playing in the weak NFC East division, Jalen Hurts could lead the Eagles to a divisional crown in 2021.