The Los Angeles Chargers have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Philip Rivers. According to Jeff Miller of the LATimes, they won't be using him in their preseason opener though.
This move makes perfect sense. Rivers is entering his 16th season in the NFL. All of those have come with the Los Angeles (also San Diego) Chargers. He doesn't exactly need this first warmup game.
Instead, they'll limit his risk of injury and give the backup quarterbacks a chance to showcase their talent. This is extremely important because the situation behind Rivers is murky.
Currently, the depth chart behind him has Tyrod Taylor, Cardale Jones, and Easton Stick.
Taylor is the obvious backup at the moment. He's proven he can win games as a starter in the NFL and is a fantastic backup to Rivers.
That leaves Jones and Stick for the third-string spot though. Jones is entering his fourth year in the NFL but has just 11 career pass attempts. Meanwhile, Stick is a rookie.
Both would benefit highly from plenty of playing time this preseason. Not only would it help them though, it would help the Chargers. Los Angeles needs to have a clear vision of who the third-string is by the start of the year, as it's extremely unlikely they're holding onto four quarterbacks in Week 1.
With Rivers out, you'd have to expect Taylor to get a few possessions to start the game. Jones and Stick will see the heavy majority of the game though and be given a chance to start the battle for third place.
This is something you should expect a lot of this preseason for the Chargers, in fact. Rivers and Taylor will likely be given some time as they tune-up for the regular season, but with their spots solidified, it would make more sense for the team to use Jones and Stick as much as possible.
For now though, the roles aren't 100% clear. What we do know is that Philip Rivers won't be appearing in the preseason opener for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Follow Us
Subscribe