The Los Angeles Chargers made it official on Monday and announced that Philip Rivers won't be back with the team in 2020. With the Rivers era coming to a close, should the Chargers give Tyrod Taylor a chance to be their starting quarterback?
Last offseason, Los Angeles signed Taylor to a two-year deal to become the backup to Rivers. However, maybe the Chargers signed the veteran quarterback for two years in case Rivers departed in 2020.
Now, with it becoming a reality, Taylor may have his chance to start in the NFL again. As he enters his 10th season in the NFL, Taylor has plenty of experience as a quarterback in the league.
Prior to joining the Chargers, Taylor spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. While the one-year stint with Cleveland was short-lived, Taylor was a starter for the Bills for three seasons.
In those three seasons, Taylor combined for 8,857 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Above all, he helped lead Buffalo to the playoffs in 2017 for the first time since 1999.
As for his short tenure with the Browns, Taylor started in Cleveland's first three games of the 2018 season. Then, he would be benched in favor of starting the rookie out of Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield.
While he was under center, the Virginia Tech product flashed potential as a starting quarterback in the NFL. But does that mean he would be a good choice for the Chargers next season?
Heading into the offseason, Los Angeles will have quite a few options at the quarterback position. First and foremost, the Chargers could decide to replace Rivers with another quarterback in free agency. Of course, that would include the likes of Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, or someone else.
At the same time, there are a couple of quarterbacks that could possibly be had via trade. That would make Cam Newton and Andy Dalton interesting options for the Chargers.
On the other hand, the most realistic option is that the Chargers target someone in the 2020 NFL Draft. Due to going 5-11 in 2019, Los Angeles owns the No. 6 pick in the draft and could be in a position to select a quarterback.
Most people have linked the Chargers to Justin Herbert out of Oregon. If Los Angeles does choose to go with the draft route, Taylor would likely be given a shot to earn the starting job. There's no doubt that he deserves to at least compete for the chance to start.
Some fans in Los Angeles may want to sign Brady just so they can say they have the greatest quarterback of all-time on their roster. Even though Brady might pan out, it would be better to find the future quarterback of the franchise. Until the Chargers achieve that, Taylor should be given an opportunity to prove himself as a starter again.
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