Chargers: 3 questions facing Los Angeles’ offense in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: When will Chargers make the change from Tyrod Taylor to Justin Herbert?
It’s inevitable.
Anytime a team invests highly in a rookie quarterback via the NFL Draft, the biggest question it’ll face is when the switch from a veteran to a first-year player winds up taking place. Could it be by the end of training camp and the preseason? Week 1? Perhaps at some point during the regular season, say following Los Angeles’ bye in Week 10.
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Maybe not until 2021.
For now, it appears as if Tyrod Taylor will be the interim starter until the Chargers feel comfortable with Justin Herbert under center. With the Chiefs the top team in the AFC West by a wide margin, there’s no reason to rush the Bolts’ top investment from the 2020 NFL Draft too quickly.
That said, a wide-open competition between Taylor and Herbert would be a wise move. Taylor is a free agent in 2021 and is clearly not the future of the franchise. Herbert, meanwhile, looks to have a talented array of skill players on offense to further bolster his development.
If Taylor wins this competition out of camp outright, fine. That’ll still leave plenty of time for Herbert to mature as the No. 2 option in what’s looking to be more of a rebuilding year than anything else.
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Yet for teams going through such a reconstruction, wondering when that switch from a veteran clearly on his way out to a hopeful cornerstone of the franchise will be question No. 1 in the minds of Chargers fans everywhere.