No. 4 AFC West QB situation: Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Starter: Tyrod Taylor
Backups: Justin Herbert, Easton Stick
What the Chargers have built in Los Angeles is the definition of a quarterback competition. On one end, you have veteran Tyrod Talor. This will be Taylor’s 10th season as he has played with four different teams throughout his career. But his best football by far was with the Buffalo Bills. While with Buffalo, Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
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Taylor was eventually let go by the Bills and replaced by then-rookie Josh Allen. Taylor wound up in Cleveland the following year and was once again replaced by then-rookie Baker Mayfield early in the year. Now heading into the 2020 season, Taylor will be competing with another rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert
Herbert was the No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft by the Chargers and, based on many draft analysts’ big boards, this was a bit of reach. Pro Football Focus had Herbert slotted as the 30th best player on their big board and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had Herbert in the 28th spot on his. While Herbert was low on many analysts’ big boards, one can see why a team would take him early.
Herbert has all the tools in the world to become a high-end starting quarterback in the NFL with an absolute cannon for an arm. While Herbert does have the tools to become a nice NFL quarterback, he did not show off those tools often in college. Herbert’s missed throws and inability to read the defense consistently was evident.
Taylor will likely be the starter in Los Angeles in 2020 but, once he leaves, it seems as though Herbert is the future. The worry, though, is that the newcomer will struggle.