Could Cardale Jones be Philip Rivers’ successor?

With an aging quarterback, the Chargers will need to start making plans as to who will take control of the offense after Philip Rivers retires.

In a recent article published on Chargers.com, it talked about Cardale Jones and how excited the team was for the future of the 25-year-old quarterback.

With Philip Rivers turning 37 in the upcoming season, the search for the predecessor should definitely be on the mind of the coaching staff and front office. Should the team draft a QB, or should they focus their attention on the young man they already have playing behind Phil?

Why Cardale Jones is a good fit

Coming to the Chargers via trade last year, Cardale Jones started the year as the team’s third quarterback behind No. 17 and Kellen Clemens. Although he didn’t get playing time during the regular season, he still managed to play in the preseason and had the eyes of the staff throughout the team’s practices.

Although he looked shaky in the preseason, that was to be expected due to having to learn the plays in a short amount of time, as well as not having much NFL experience. He did, however, showcase his elite arm strength and his athleticism in the four games and definitely gave the coaches something to look forward to. He has also gained the trust of head coach Anthony Lynn, as the latter initiated the trade and saw Jones’ potential in his time with the Bills.

With the head coach on his side and his talent, Jones can benefit from learning from a Hall of Famer in Rivers and can perfect the offense in his time holding the clipboard. If we look at his college career, we see a lot of winning, and this move could benefit the team in the sense of saving their picks towards building the team and concentrating their energy on developing the young man to one day take over the Bolts.

Why Cardale Jones will not be a good fit

Jones suffered a lot of setbacks, including spending most of the season on the injured list. He often struggled with his accuracy, as he overthrew a lot of his receivers and barely completed 59 percent of his passes in the preseason. When under pressure, Jones struggled to get rid of the ball which led to sacks and missed opportunities down the field. He also struggled to look off defenders and forced a lot of his throws. At the end of the day, he looked like a rookie getting his feet wet for the first time and wasn’t spectacular by any means.

Consensus

Having Jones as a choice of predecessor is just as good as having any rookie quarterback take helm in the future. Jones doesn’t really possess anything beside the trust of Lynn and an extra year of learning the offense. Its only a matter of how the team wants to go about the future of their quarterback.

Do they want a fresh new face who can win some fans and sell tickets? Or do they want to use what they already have and work from there?