Thomas Davis, LB
#Chargers LB Thomas Davis on QB Philip Rivers yelling out at him during practice “OH YEAH TD!”Davis started off by saying “Philip being Philip.” pic.twitter.com/Ih3WzWOnCS
— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) April 29, 2019
What’s the best thing a team could do for a locker room of linebackers that are young and athletic, but need help staying on the field? Bring in a veteran who has missed just two games due to injury since 2012. Thomas Davis has more passes defended in his career than Denzel Perryman has games played in. The Chargers are getting one of the league’s best locker room presences, as Davis is also a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award-winner.
If all goes according to plan, Davis will bring out the best in every linebacker on this roster, which is currently a very crowded group of talented individuals.
Tyrod Taylor, QB
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1041413782721855489
Sure, if he never sees a down of football, it’s technically a waste of money. But not many drive their cars without insurance. Taylor is the first reserve quarterback to sit behind Rivers who can actually win a game if No. 17 goes down with an injury. Many who complain about the lack of a capable backup behind Rivers also bemoaned Taylor’s signing; why? No one expects Taylor to start, and no one wants him to start. But the Chargers felt that their team was special enough to make a run this year, and that no injury to their franchise leader should jeopardize this season.
Anthony Lynn spent time with Taylor as a Buffalo Bill, and despite his comments suggesting the team will not use quarterbacks to run the ball, one can’t help but feel the team should explore every avenue with their new backup. Taylor has a 6.1 yards per rush average over the past four seasons, which, as hard as it is to imagine, is much higher than Rivers’ average of 1.1 yards per rush over the same span. The Chargers currently hold the NFL’s highest fourth-down conversion rate percentage; however, they also hold the lowest number of attempts with just eight. The team was rewarded many times for their fourth down or two-point conversion attempts; can Tyrod Taylor be the X-factor to bring new flare to this offense?