Jameis Winston: Los Angeles Chargers
Could a flip of the script be in the works, with Rivers coming east and Winston headed west?
It is possible.
The more we study quarterbacks, the more it seems that QBs often just “are who they are.” We like to think that quarterbacks can develop and season in the NFL, but too many times the players we saw on film during their college careers are the quarterbacks they end up being in the NFL.
Take Trubisky for example.
Trubisky’s problems as a quarterback today, mainly with decision-making and experiencing “vapor lock” in the pocket, are things that we saw on film with him back when he was at the University of North Carolina. Sure, we thought that in the right offense and with the right coaching it would get fixed, but Trubisky is now who he was in college.
The same could be said for Winston. Last season might have been the quintessential Winston experience. 33 touchdown passes, but 30 interceptions. Winston at Florida State was a quarterback who trusted both his arm, and those around him, and as such was willing to challenge windows and coverages that other quarterbacks would shy away from.
Now perhaps Arians has tired of that, but that does not mean Winston should be without a spot next season. With the Chargers moving on from Rivers, where they are going to be schematically would be a suitable situation for Winston to begin a second act.
As we wrote the other day regarding the ideal scheme fit for Jordan Love, the Chargers have been historically an offense rooted in Coryell concepts. After all, Don Coryell and the Chargers are forever linked. Last year Los Angeles began their season with Ken Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator, a play-caller with a system rooted in both Coryell and West Coast elements. Their new offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, began his career under Rob Chudzinski, another Coryell disciple.
While Arians may have tired of Winston – and some of his comments this season seem to indicate that is the case – Winston showed that he can run a downfield attack last season. Winston’s adjusted completion percentage on downfield throws last season, according to Pro Football Focus, was 44.4%. That was ninth-best in the league. His NFL quarterback rating of 97.1 on downfield throws was 11th best in the league.
Moving to the Chargers would keep Winston in a downfield scheme, which he is best suited to run given his skill-set and aggression as a passer. Steichen’s job would be to dial back that risk-taking nature a bit, and if he is able to accomplish that, Winston could enjoy a solid second act.