This will be a new series where we will be going over the different position groups of the Chargers as they gear up for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
This week we will be going over the Chargers quarterback group and some of the storylines that will go along with the positional battles of this position.
Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod is a journeyman quarterback with almost 10 years of NFL experience. The Chargers brought him in last year for a two-year deal, as a plan to replace the departure of Phillip Rivers. The inevitable happened in the offseason and Phillip Rivers became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
Tyrod has played for a lot of team in his day, but his last trip was in Cleveland where he started for the first couple of games and got injured and the Browns first overall pick Baker Mayfield stepped in to start and Tyrod didn’t get a chance to play again. Tyrod knows the Chargers offense better than Stick and Herbert and should be able to bring a mentoring role for the younger quarterbacks.
The Chargers brass has consistently shown support for Tyrod as their starting quarterback. With the shortened offseason for rookies, it makes it even more likely that Tyrod starts for almost all of the Chargers regular-season games this year.
Justin Herbert
The Chargers earliest quarterback drafted since Phillip Rivers back in 2004. The young quarterback was a standout senior from the University of Oregon. He was widely considered the top QB prospect going into his senior season, but some early struggles and the rise of Tua and Burrow led to him being the third quarterback selected in the 2020 NFL draft. Herbert fits the mold for the offense that the Chargers are trying to transition to in the post-Rivers era.
The Chargers have stated that they plan to be patient with Herbert in his development, and the shortened offseason will make it even more difficult to get Herbert the reps he needs to develop into the Chargers starting quarterback. From what the press has seen from the Chargers training camp the Chargers have made sure that Herbert is getting as many reps as possible, in order for him to catch up.
Daniel Popper has been keeping us updated on the current quarterback snap counts and how the Chargers are organizing their depth chart for the season.
Practice report from Day 6 of #Chargers training camp
• Training wheels come off for Justin Herbert
• Tyrod Taylor pushes the ball downfield
• Trent Scott's move to guard
• Jerry Tillery flashes as pass rusher
• Much more! https://t.co/r6mJ62gyJx— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) August 21, 2020
The Chargers have been impressed with him so far, but there are things such as taking snaps under center and him becoming a more vocal leader on the team. Unless Tyord suffers and injury or gets sick, we likely won’t see Herbert starting for the Chargers until 2021. Herbert could force the Chargers’ hand if he can show big strides in his development.
Easton Stick
Easton has been with the Chargers for one season, he was a late-round pick out of North Dakota State University. He is likely the odd-man-out in the quarterback group, with the Chargers spending a high pick on Herbert and Tyrod being the presumed starter. At the moment the Chargers are having Stick and Herbert share second and third-team offense in training camp so far.
If they really want to ensure that Herbert uses the 2020 season as a development year they could move Stick to second on the depth chart, where he would step in if Tyrod were to go down.
Stick has played in the Chargers offense for several years, so that route could be possible.
He hasn’t developed as much as the Chargers have hoped since they drafted him, however, he has shown flashes in the preseason games last year.
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