Los Angeles Chargers wisely keep Tyrod Taylor as starting quarterback

Despite drafting Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick, the Los Angeles Chargers are wisely starting Tyrod Taylor when the season starts.

After the departure of Philip Rivers this offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers were almost certainly going to be selecting a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.

However, we didn’t know how or when they would address the position. Well, the Chargers didn’t waste much time, as they selected Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick.

Coming out of Oregon, Herbert has all of the physical tools that you would want in a starting quarterback. However, despite having all the tools needed to be great, Herbert is far from a finished project.

Since Herbert likely isn’t going to be ready to start in Week 1, the Chargers have announced that Tyrod Taylor will be their guy to start the season. Here’s what head coach Anthony Lynn said to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

"“We’re going into this thing: Day 1, Tyrod Taylor’s going to be starting it off. He’s earned that right. His teammates respect the hell out of him, he’s a leader on this football team. Our young quarterback’s gonna learn a lot from Tyrod Taylor. Tyrod Taylor’s one of the most respected players on our team, and he doesn’t say a whole lot either.”"

After being on the team last season, Taylor certainly has the respect of the locker room in Los Angeles. Taylor has been a starter in his career before, as he is posting a slightly above .500 record.

While Taylor can win games for the Chargers, it’s hard to project him ever being a franchise quarterback. More than likely, the Chargers will be rolling with Taylor as the starting quarterback until he either performs poorly or the team is out of it.

By selecting Herbert sixth, the front office and the franchise are invested in him to succeed. While success for Herbert could come, he will have to earn the starting job if he wants it soon.

Due to the coronavirus, it is hard to know what the offseason might be like for the NFL. If Herbert isn’t able to get in a proper offseason, then he will be behind Taylor by even more.

For Taylor, this is a huge opportunity for him to prove himself. While Taylor does have a winning record as a quarterback, the stats aren’t of starting-caliber for him. With a good supporting cast of weapons on the Chargers, this will be Taylor’s best chance to succeed as a starter. However, he will have to watch his back for Herbert.