LA Chargers: Grading the 2020 quarterbacks
LA Chargers QB3: Easton Stick
It doesn’t really make sense to give Easton Stick a grade at this point since he’s not going to be starting anytime soon, barring some catastrophe. Stick was a weird pick last year, but if the Chargers valued a depth quarterback who maybe has some potential to develop, I wasn’t really against the pick.
To his credit, Stick played decently well in the preseason with probably one bad game out of the bunch against New Orleans. He’s got a tight release with some mobility.
There are some weird signs with Stick though. The team had him reportedly playing safety reps last year in the practice squad due to injury. That alone doesn’t mean he’s bad, but it’s not an encouraging sign that he hasn’t really stuck around at quarterback. Perhaps it changes in 2020, but with the drafting of Herbert, it makes the Stick draft pick somewhat worthless as of now.
Theoretically speaking, maybe there are some plans to employ Stick in a Taysom Hill-type role. That wouldn’t honestly be terrible for him in the long term. He is athletic enough to make some quick throws or work on a couple of designed runs. Does using him in that role bring a ton of value to the offense though? I’m honestly not sure.
There’s a lot to still be determined with Stick in terms of the team’s role for him, so as of now, that’s pretty much his grade. TBD.
Chargers. Grading the 2020 offensive line
Ultimately, the LA Chargers’ quarterback group may be the weakest group on the team. Taylor is a decent game manager, but he hasn’t really started in two years. What is he going to be like in his first games back? There are also questions to be asked of Herbert. When is he going to adapt to the pro level? Is he taking a redshirt season?
When it comes to Taylor, I feel fairly confident that he can be a good game manager on a solid Chargers’ offense. With Herbert, it’s possible that he could start this season, but there’s too much uncertainty in his development to make a true evaluation. Stick is pretty much TBD, as there hasn’t been enough play or tape from him in addition to the Chargers’ vision for him not being fully apparent.
Despite it being a weak group on the team, there is a lot of potential for things to go in a positive direction fairly quickly.