Los Angeles Chargers still solid at quarterback after Philip Rivers departure

The Los Angeles Chargers are without a franchise quarterback for the first time in 16 years but remain solid at the position without Philip Rivers.

Philip Rivers has been the face of the Los Angeles Chargers franchise since being drafted in 2004 despite not taking over for Drew Brees as the full-time starter in 2006. Even when he wasn’t on the field, it was obvious he was the Chargers next “guy”.

Now, the decision for Rivers and the Chargers to mutually part ways as they enter a new stadium and decade was met with both nostalgia and optimism for the future. Rivers’ play was wildly inconsistent and mediocre in the 2019 season.

So, while it’s fair for fans to look back with sentiment for the greatest quarterback the franchise has had since Dan Fouts (Brees wouldn’t reach his Hall-of-Fame level status until leaving), it’s also fair to be excited for the future as the team begins a new chapter at quarterback.

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With the team holding the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s safe to assume they will take a quarterback with this pick, whether they stay put or possibly trade up. LSU’s Joe Burrow may be out of the question as of now as he’s likely to be the No. 1 overall pick. And unless Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa falls to them, the rest of the field is up for debate on their pro readiness.

Oregon’s Justin Herbert is certainly an enticing prospect but is seen as a distant third from Burrow and Tagovailoa. Now, that’s not saying he won’t be a solid pro or even a bad route for the Chargers to travel. But it is something that should be stated. Jordan Love of Utah State, on another hand, has become a late bloomer on draft boards but is far from a sure thing.

Regardless of what the Chargers do in the draft, whether it’s ending up with a quarterback or plugging and playing a rookie offensive lineman (also a very strong option), the team finds themselves with a good situation at the quarterback position, regardless of public perception.

As fun as it is to speculate with the draft when a team is quarterback-needy, it’s just as fun to do the same with free agency/potential trades. Everyone from Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston and, yes, Tom Brady has been thrown around as possible fit.

It can be just as dangerous, if not more so, to put all the eggs in that basket, however. So for now, let’s focus on the current roster.

Tyrod Taylor, as of right now, would be the penciled in as the starter at quarterback on the depth chart. While no Rivers, he’s no scrub either. Taylor was the stop-gap quarterback for the Cleveland Browns before Baker Mayfield took over. Despite a short up-and-down performance, he was the one who snapped the team’s legendary losing streak, albeit with a tie.

Before that, the man known as T-Mobile took a young Buffalo Bills team to their first playoff appearance since 1999 during the 2017 season. They were knocked out in the Wild Card Round with Taylor under-performing against an extremely talented Jacksonville Jaguars defense before being knocked out with a concussion.

Again, while Taylor is certainly not at the top of anyone’s Hall of Fame ballots, the Chargers can do much worse for a stop-gap quarterback for part of 2020, a full-time starter until another draft or even as a backup for another veteran offseason acquisition.

Elsewhere, Easton Stick finds himself as the second quarterback on the roster. A 2019 fifth-round pick last year and a relatively unknown commodity to the casual NFL fan, Stick is a very good athlete who took over for Carson Wentz at North Dakota State and enjoyed much success. Look for him to have his name pop up in various quarterback discussions.

While the Chargers’ future at quarterback is certainly unknown, there is absolutely zero reason for fans to panic. Whichever quarterback starts the 2020 season will do so with a very solid roster, and coaching staff behind him. It’s actually very hard for them to make a wrong decision. The future is bright for the Chargers.