The Los Angeles Chargers would be the perfect home for Joe Burrow
By Jason Reed
There have been discussions about Joe Burrow potentially forcing his way out of Cincinnati, and if that is the case, the Los Angeles Chargers would be the perfect home.
Sixteen years ago the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers selected Eli Manning with the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Manning never played for the Chargers, as he forced his way out of Southern California and the Chargers subsequently flipped quarterbacks with the New York Giants and received Philip Rivers.
Now, with Rivers’ Charger career officially over, the Chargers find themselves on page one of a new quarterback journey. With the sixth overall pick in the draft, the hope has been that Tua Tagovailoa will somehow slip, and if not, that the team will draft Justin Herbert.
But what if the Chargers got neither Tua or Herbert? There has been discussions regarding whether or not Joe Burrow should spurn the Cincinnati Bengals, who own the first overall pick in the draft. If he does, his chosen destination should be the same team that Manning spurned 16 years ago.
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Burrow himself has shown no signs of not wanting to go to the Bengals and is even an Ohio native, making him the perfect quarterback to turn the tide of the Bengals’ franchise. But that is just the problem, Burrow would be attempting to turn a massive tide, as the Bengals can be described in two words: a mess.
There are multiple other teams near the top of the draft that Burrow could theoretically force his way to. The Detroit Lions would love him over Matthew Stafford and the Miami Dolphins need their next franchise quarterback.
Aside from those two, the Chargers might not have much competition. It is too early for the Washington Redskins to give up on Dwayne Haskins and the New York Giants just drafted Daniel Jones.
The Carolina Panthers pick one pick behind the Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders pick 12th. Those are the only other teams in the same ballpark as the Chargers that could use a quarterback.
So right off the bat, the Chargers clearly have a high-enough pick to swap with the Bengals. Sure, the second and fifth overall pick would be more intriguing, but that won’t matter if the Chargers are willing to add more picks in the deal, such as a future first-round pick and a third-round pick.
Burrow could essentially call the shots as well and tell the Bengals where he wants to go. Despite their history of not taking the best care of Philip Rivers, the Los Angeles Chargers would be the perfect place for Burrow to pick among the Lions and Dolphins.
First of all, the Chargers have a better all-around roster. This is a team that just won 12 games two seasons ago and could have easily been a playoff team in 2019 if they did not shoot themselves in the foot every game.
Burrow would have weapons to start his NFL career with. Austin Ekeler emerged as one of the best dual-threat running backs in the league in 2019 and Burrow would have one of the best 1-2 receiver combos in the league in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
If the team keeps Hunter Henry, it would give him a top-five receiving tight end as well.
The one concern is the offensive line but by drafting Burrow the Chargers would be saving money by not signing an experienced quarterback and could spend big on one of the best linemen in the offseason. Adding a great tackle and drafting a guard in the second round could be enough to completely turn the offensive line around.
Defensively, the Chargers are stout as well. Derwin James is the best young safety in the league and Desmond King and Adrian Phillips are both former All-Pros. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league and the linebacker unit was much better in 2020 behind Denzel Perryman and Thomas Davis Sr.
The Los Angeles Chargers are talented and they could use a quarterback that would be great right away to align with the team’s contending window. Burrow is just that, as he just led LSU to one of the best seasons in NCAA history.
Next. Non-quarterback options for the sixth overall pick. dark
You already know the narrative: Joe Burrow is a month older than 2019 MVP, Lamar Jackson. He is ready to instantly make an impact in the NFL and he would be fantastic on the Los Angeles Chargers. Fingers crossed.