JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 08: Tyrod Taylor #5 of the Los Angeles Chargers passes in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on December 08, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images)
Free agency has been underway for about two weeks. The Chargers made some very good roster moves and upgraded at some key positions, but they still have some holes.
The glaring hole is at the quarterback position. The Bolts and Philip Rivers agreed to mutually part ways and he is now an Indianapolis Colt. The team did try to go after free agent quarterback Tom Brady, but he decided to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
So, what now?
The Chargers have a lot of different ways they can go to choose their next quarterback.
The most obvious is to stick with their guy. Since the offseason began general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Anthony Lynn have stated numerous times that they have faith in Tyrod Taylor.
"I brought him in last year and I knew that if we needed him to start, if something happened to Phil, then he could go in and start," Lynn said on a conference call with the media on Tuesday. "I'm very familiar with Tyrod. I would say right now it looks like he's in the driver's seat, but no position is final until we get to training camp right now."
When Lynn was a member of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff from 2015-2016, Taylor was the starting quarterback. They developed a relationship. During his time in Buffalo and a one-year stint in Cleveland, Taylor wasn’t a bad quarterback. He scored 68 total touchdowns (53 throwing and 15 rushing). The one area he struggled with was he committed 38 total turnovers, which will need to go down.
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"We have a lot of talent on our team," Taylor said, per Gilbert Manzano of the Orange County Register. "If I am the guy that would be calling the shots, I know for sure that we'll go out and turn a lot of heads."
Taylor does sound confident.
The Bolts can also reach out to Taylor’s workout buddy Cam Newton. Taylor recently uploaded a picture of he and Newton working out with Jeff Christensen in Atlanta to Instagram.
Newton was released by the Carolina Panthers on March 24. He started posting videos on Instagram of him working out to Gospel music and him saying “they gave up on me,” talking about his former team.
The Chargers have been linked to Newton since he was released. A lot of analysts believe that Newton could give the offense what they want…a mobile quarterback who can make all of the throws.
"Cam's a good quarterback, he's done a lot of good things with the Panthers, led them to a Super Bowl," Lynn said. "He's had some injuries. If he's healthy, he's going to be a good quarterback for somebody."
That last part can be seen as Lynn throwing a smokescreen or saying, “thanks but no thanks.” That is up for interpretation.
Newton is 30 years old and has taken a beating, but like Lynn said if healthy he could be a good addition to any offense, but he would have to learn to not take unnecessary hits and take care of the football. Something Lynn always preaches.
"We're looking at everybody,” explained Lynn. “I want to turn over every single rock, so yeah, we're looking at everybody."
The Chargers do hold the sixth overall pick in this draft. They could be looking towards the future. There could be three options for them.
Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa who recently told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, “I feel 100 percent.” He also told Wyche that he feels “mobile and ready to go,” which is a positive after coming off hip surgery.
Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert is an option. He is big, athletic and has a strong arm. At times it seemed like the Ducks coaching staff held him back with their play calling. He led his team to victory in the Rose Bowl. The talent is there.
There is also Utah State’s Jordan Love. He is very talented and is being called “this draft's Patrick Mahomes.” Some analysts see him as better than Herbert. He is athletic and can make all the throws. He struggled to take care of the ball last season, which could hurt him.
Having to choose a new quarterback is new for the Chargers. They had the same quarterback under center for 14 seasons. The offense does have a lot of talent so whatever quarterback comes in won’t have a shortage of weapons to choose from.
