Good points. Didn't want to pressure you there, but something I might consider and your opinions are always valued and appreciated.
If I knew for sure that Tua was going to get some of his athleticism back, I wouldn't be even looking much at quarterbacks. Other than maybe guys like Melton as later round backup types.
No, it's a good/fair question. I think we haven't seen Tua look as mobile as he was pre-hip injury. He's still very quick with his feet in the pocket, but when it comes to escaping the pocket, he just hasn't shown the juice he did at Alabama. We get some sense of his ability to extend without taking sacks by the company he's keeping in this chart - close to Mahomes, Purdy, and Bo Nix.
Tua looks like those days might not return.
But, I also dont think they've given Tua a balanced offense - in terms of toughness and physicality, tertiary options that make sense with Hill and Waddle, and, of course, OL. And, overall, he's still been excellent.
With this team's timeline, and the need for OL, and the talent at OL in this class, I think that's the clear move. I'm not sure that continuing on this timeline is the most prudent path, but there are multiple paths toward success - devil's in the details.