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What the Chargers should look for in their next quarterback

By Faustino Felix

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 22: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers gestures as he can't hear the play call because of noise in the second half of the game against the Oakland Raiders at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 22, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 22: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers gestures as he can't hear the play call because of noise in the second half of the game against the Oakland Raiders at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 22, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 31: Jordan Love #10 of the Utah State Aggies throws a second-half pass while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018, in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 31: Jordan Love #10 of the Utah State Aggies throws a second-half pass while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018, in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Raw but talented vs. Pro ready

Many head coaches, some more notoriously than others (i.e. Bruce Arians), prefer a veteran quarterback that can grasp all the concepts from the offense from day one. Others prefer to get a raw quarterback that they can coach and mold to their preference.

Many will say that the potential is higher with a draft pick than a veteran who is already a known asset, but there have been many cases of average quarterbacks becoming stars when they reach the right situation, like Carson Palmer, Alex Smith, or more recently Tannehill (although with a limited sample size).

So in which direction should the Chargers go?

As the subtitle implies, this question applies more to what kind of draft prospect should they draft. Free-agent quarterbacks are obviously pro-ready (duh). Rookies, however, can come to the league ready to play or may need some fine-tuning or coaching to play successfully.

The Chargers shouldn’t really take a quarterback that’s ready to play if they don’t like him, as they have no need for a day one starter with Taylor on the roster. The most recent successful quarterback draft picks have mostly been seen as unfinished products as they entered the league.

Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen are examples of this.

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These players have long ways to go to reach their potential, and the best trait that they can have is development.

Players that continually get better as opposed to talented players who settle, can reach higher levels of productivity.

That means the Chargers should look for a prospect like Jordan Love, who has incredible arm talent and improvisation ability, even if he still deals with small issues in his mechanics and decision making (like focusing on his first read frequently), as opposed to a player like Fromm.

Fromm is definitely more ready to start than Love, but has a much lower potential (even if his arm talent is better than he gets credited for) and hasn’t shown a lot of improvement through the years.

The Chargers have many different options for addressing the quarterback position this offseason and should have no excuse should they fail to get the player they want. All one can do now is wait and see who will succeed Rivers under center and write the next chapter of Chargers history.

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