{"id":87300,"date":"2020-05-02T22:47:15","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T02:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=87300"},"modified":"2020-05-02T22:47:15","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T02:47:15","slug":"chargers-should-start-justin-herbert-right-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/05\/02\/chargers-should-start-justin-herbert-right-away\/","title":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Chargers Should Start Justin Herbert Right Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> have their new quarterback of the future in Justin Herbert<\/strong><\/a>, whom they took with the sixth overall pick. The question still remained of who would be behind center for Week 1. Head coach Anthony Lynn<\/a><\/strong> has indicated that Tyrod Taylor<\/strong><\/a> is the planned starter for Week 1, but that Herbert will have the chance to take the job<\/a>. While Taylor isn\u2019t the worst stopgap measure by any means and a very good backup to have, this still doesn\u2019t feel like the right move for the team. They should prepare to have Herbert start right away.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Chargers Should Start Justin Herbert in Week 1<\/h2>\n

…Depending on the Season\u2019s Expectations<\/h3>\n

Now to be clear, this argument does rest on the idea that the Chargers are going into the season intending to win now rather than tank for another high draft pick next year. If they wish to do the latter, then starting Taylor is definitely a better move, and then they could still start Herbert down the stretch once they were well and out of playoff contention. But it doesn\u2019t feel like they\u2019re intending to tank.<\/p>\n

Though not choosing to upgrade over Taylor is a little perplexing (more on him later), most of the Chargers moves this off-season have not indicated a long rebuild. In fact, this was one of their more active free agency periods since Tom Telesco took over as general manager. They shored up the offensive line a bit and brought in Chris Harris<\/a><\/strong> and Linval Joseph<\/a> <\/strong>to the defense. They also locked up Austin Ekeler<\/strong><\/a> and franchise tagged Hunter Henry<\/strong><\/a>, both two very important weapons.<\/p>\n

The Chargers are pretty well set at almost every position, especially on defense. There is still a bit of a question mark at left tackle, even after the draft. And though they did draft two wide receivers, the #3 receiver spot is still up for grabs. But even with a not-perfect quarterback situation, this team still does not look like one that is tanking. They have not been off-loading big-name players for nothing but draft picks. They have not been passive in free agency \u2013 just the opposite, which is actually unusual for them. The Chargers organization is still in a \u201cwin now\u201d mindset. One could debate whether that mindset is realistic or not. But the point remains. And starting Taylor wouldn\u2019t seem to line up with that mindset.<\/p>\n

Why Taylor Should Remain the Backup<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve already seen what we should expect from Tyrod Taylor over three years with the Buffalo Bills<\/a> and three games with the Cleveland Browns<\/a>. And that is this: he\u2019s got quite solid mobility and a decent arm. But he\u2019s ultimately just a game manager. He won\u2019t lose you the game by any means. But he can\u2019t bring you back from behind. Much like with Alex Smith<\/strong><\/a>, you fall two scores or more behind with Taylor as your quarterback, it\u2019s over. He\u2019s never thrown more than six interceptions in a season\u2026 but his highest season passing yardage total is 3,035. By 2010s standards, that\u2019s not good.<\/p>\n

So success with such a quarterback depends on either maintaining a lead or at least keeping neck-and-neck \u2013 and even in the case of the latter, it can be iffy sometimes. The Chargers usually get a couple of blowout victories per year (this was the case even in the midst of a 5-11 season last year), but on average their games tend to be more tightly contested.<\/p>\n

Taylor is definitely good at taking care of the ball. And as previously stated, he is a very solid backup to have. But he\u2019s not a franchise quarterback. We already know that. So if the plan is in fact to \u201cwin now\u201d \u2013 or at least to not tank \u2013 then sticking with a stopgap measure who\u2019s not even above average doesn\u2019t make a ton of sense. Not when you have your quarterback of the future waiting.<\/p>\n

Starting the Rookie<\/h3>\n

Of course, the problem is that we haven\u2019t seen any NFL play out of Herbert at all yet \u2013 and therefore we don\u2019t know what to expect. And not many rookie quarterbacks are capable of coming out and playing that well in their first season. But at least there\u2019s a chance; as opposed to playing with Taylor, where the best-case scenario would probably be 7-9 or 8-8. Maybe 9-7, if the defense actually stayed healthy. And Chargers fans know how rarely that happens. A repeat of 5-11 would be just as possible.<\/p>\n

Look at some of the quarterbacks since the turn of the millennium who have started right away (or almost right away) and been successful. Andrew Luck<\/strong><\/a>, Ben Roethlisberger<\/strong><\/a>, Russell Wilson<\/strong><\/a>. (There\u2019s a few more, but these are the best examples.) All three of these ended up in the playoffs in their rookie season while playing 16 games (or in Roethlisberger’s case, 15–close enough). How did that happen? Well, playing better than average for a rookie helped. But part of the difference was that these quarterbacks already had good teams around them when they arrived. Unlike the likes of Eli Manning<\/a> <\/strong>or Matthew Stafford<\/strong><\/a>, whose teams were still rebuilding when they showed up.<\/p>\n

Last Word<\/h3>\n

The Chargers may be coming off a 5-11 season, but just the year prior they were 12-4. And then a lot of things happened, like Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong> regressing, Melvin Gordon<\/strong><\/a> completely imploding, and basically the entire safety lineup being injured. Justin Herbert would be joining in 2020 and getting a lot of tools to succeed. He\u2019ll have Keenan Allen<\/strong><\/a>, Mike Williams<\/strong><\/a>, and Henry to throw to. The offensive line should be improved. Gordon is gone. The defense didn\u2019t really lose any major starters (except Adrian Phillips<\/a><\/strong>) and added a couple more pieces anyway.<\/p>\n

The biggest factor may be the defense (specifically the secondary) staying healthy this time. But if Justin Herbert were to start sooner rather than later, he\u2019d be in a good position. Maybe he\u2019d turn out not to be quite ready yet \u2013 and if so, it could be a learning experience for him. But if he could play above average \u2013 above the level of Tyrod Taylor, specifically \u2013 then the apparent ambition of the Chargers to \u201cwin now\u201d might actually stand a hair\u2019s chance of working out.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>