Tag: Chargers quarterbacks

Chargers 2023 roster review: QB Max Duggan

The Chargers filled out the quarterback room with their final selection of Max Duggan.

The 2023 season is just a month away, and with weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before the start of the team’s training camp.

After putting together a polished resume at TCU, including guiding them to the national title game in 2022, the Chargers drafted Max Duggan in the seventh round of this year’s draft.

The runner-up for last year’s Heisman Trophy, Duggan passed for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns in his senior season.

Los Angeles has carried three quarterbacks on the active roster in eight of the ten seasons that Tom Telesco has been the general manager, which is why the Duggan is likely to make the 53-man roster.

Easton Stick will be the backup and while he isn’t going to push him for the spot, Duggan should add value as a scout team quarterback.

Contract (2023):

Contract Value: $3,926,220 ($981,555 APY)

Fully Guaranteed Money: $86,220

Acquired: The Chargers drafted Duggan in the seventh round of this year’s draft (No. 239 overall).

Quote: Telesco on Duggan:

“He’s tall, strong, physical, and fast, which typically aren’t the first four traits you would say about a quarterback. He has played at a high level and has good arm strength. He has a grittiness and toughness that is hard to find.”

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Chargers 2023 roster review: QB Easton Stick

Easton Stick is set to take on a bigger role behind Justin Herbert.

The 2023 season is just a month away, and with weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before the start of the team’s training camp.

The Chargers entered the new year with Justin Herbert as the only one in the quarterback room, but it didn’t take long for them to return a familiar face in Easton Stick to back Herbert up.

Los Angeles and Stick, the 2019 fifth-round pick, agreed to a one-year deal in March.

Even though Stick has never taken two snaps during the regular season, which came in 2020, the coaches have praised his ability to run the practice scout team for the first-team defense, and he has a close relationship with Herbert.

Stick has always been an athletic signal-caller with the legs to cause problems for opposing defenses. But he has also consistently grown as a passer, as evident from preseason showings.

Contract (2023): Base salary of $1,647,500 and a signing bonus of $152,500 while carrying a cap hit of $1,232,500 and a dead cap value of $1,152,500.

Acquired: Stick was selected by the Chargers with the 166th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

Quote: Brandon Staley on how important Stick is to the team:

“I think he has a huge role on this football team. I thought he had a huge role last year,” Staley said in training camp. “Easton is really improving as a player, and I can’t say that enough. I’m really proud of his progress as a passer. I think he’s really, really improved as a passer.”

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Chargers’ Brandon Staley explains decision to re-sign Easton Stick

Easton Stick is in line to back up Justin Herbert.

The Chargers entered the new year with Justin Herbert as the only one in the quarterback room, but it didn’t take long for them to return a familiar face.

Los Angeles and Easton Stick, the 2019 fifth-round pick, agreed to a one-year deal to serve as Herbert’s backup this upcoming season.

“As of right now, yeah,” Brandon Staley said when asked if Stick is the team’s backup. “We’re glad that we have Easton Stick back. “You guys may not have seen him play, but we’ve seen him play. We believe in Easton Stick. My first two years here, he’s gotten better and better.

Even though Stick has never taken a snap during the regular season, the coaches have praised his ability to run the practice scout team, and he has a close relationship with Herbert.

“He’s a great fit for how we want to play … and he and Justin have a really good relationship, and it’s a really good quarterback environment with those two.”

The Chargers typically carry three quarterbacks during the regular season. Therefore, they should add two more, likely via the undrafted free agency pool, to compete this summer for a roster spot.

Projecting the Chargers’ quarterback depth chart in 2021

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out what Los Angeles’ quarterback room will likely look like in 2021.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be breaking down the depth chart at each position for the Chargers.

First up, I project what the quarterback room will look like heading into the 2021 season.

QB1: Justin Herbert

Had the Chargers’ team doctor not accidentally punctured QB Tyrod Taylor’s lung in Week 2, who knows if we would have been able to see all of the greatness unfold. The accident, however, led to Los Angeles finding their quarterback of the future. In 15 games, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year completed 66.6% of his passes for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions.

The 22-year-old set rookie records in touchdowns (36), passing touchdowns (31), completions (396), multi-passing touchdown games (10), games with 300 yards passing (eight), and three-passing touchdown games (six). He fell just 38 yards shy of passing Andrew Luck’s rookie record of 4,374 yards passing. Barring any injury, Herbert could establish himself among the elite quarterbacks by the end of the season.

QB2: Chase Daniel

Daniel has ties to offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, as the two spent four seasons together in New Orleans (2009-12). He has been considered an ideal veteran mentor for young quarterbacks, which is something he learned from Drew Brees during their time together with the Saints. In the early going of the offseason program, Daniel has been a great preceptor to Herbert.

“It’s been really good having him here,” quarterbacks coach Shane Day said. “I’m glad that we were able to get him, not only from the standpoint of teaching and kind of mentoring Justin, but he’s been able to give me some real-life experience, which is great, for this offense that I haven’t been a part of. So he’s been outstanding.”

QB3: Easton Stick

Drafted in the sixth-round of the 2019 NFL draft, Stick has gotten the short end of the stick (no pun intended), as he has limited experience after not having a preseason last year due to COVID-19. He will battle it out this year with Daniel for the backup spot, but I would not be surprised if he is on the outside looking in since Daniel’s familiarity with the offense and mentorship overrules. Stick could also be relegated to the practice squad if the team intends to only have two quarterbacks on the roster. Maybe, just maybe, Stick is used in the same gadget role as Taysom Hill. Unlikely, though.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert faces struggles against first-team defense

The Los Angeles Chargers’ first-round pick didn’t have an eventful Friday practice.

The only way for a rookie to get acclimated to the speed to the NFL is to experience what it will be like come game day.

That’s how it was for quarterback Justin Herbert, who was tasked with going up against the Chargers’ first-team defense on Friday.

“Last couple days, he’s struggled a little bit,” coach Anthony Lynn said before the workout. “There’s a lot going on with protections and when you start doing more third downs. There’s more volume in the offense right now.

“I think this is going to help him take the next step. It’s good for him to be uncomfortable. As long as he’s uncomfortable and we don’t break his spirit, I think that’s an opportunity for great growth.”

Per Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano, Herbert saw plenty of pressure and threw a swing pass intercepted by defensive end Melvin Ingram.

With all the preseason games cancelled this year, the coaching staff has to modify a little bit to ensure that Herbert is facing the stiffest competition even if there are some struggles along the way.

Even though he was successful at the University of Oregon, having played there for four seasons, where he threw 1,293 passes for more than 10,000 yards and 95 touchdowns, the NFL is an entirely different beast.

At the beginning of camp, Herbert was impressive with his bullet passes and athleticism. He rarely missed throws and put the ball in the right place to his receivers.

“He’s out there making plays,” Tyrod Taylor said. “There’s still a learning curve, a learning process like [with] every young player in this league. But he’s doing his best. He’s going out there and making plays.”

But now, Herbert needs to continue to show that he’s capable of leading an NFL offense and be consistent when it comes to playing against stingier defenses.

Anthony Lynn talks Chargers quarterback competition heading into training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers’ quarterback battle will be the main headline this training camp.

The Chargers begin training camp next week. There will be plenty of storylines to monitor, but the one that will get the majority of the attention is the quarterback battle between Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that Taylor will be the Week 1 starter over Herbert due to his experience in the league and familiarity with the offense.

While many are pegging Taylor to start, coach Anthony Lynn isn’t set on making anything official until training camp concludes.

“I’m very familiar with Tyrod,” Lynn said. “But no position is final until we get to training camp right now.”

Los Angeles took a swing on who they view as the long-term answer at the quarterback position, drafting Herbert with their first-round pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

“We drafted him high to one day be our franchise quarterback, for sure,” Lynn said. “But I don’t want to put a timetable on this young man.”

Both signal-callers may not necessarily have the experience or be as talented of a passer as Philip Rivers is, but they all bring a unique skillset which includes athleticism to put the team in position to win games.

“It’s a mobile group that allow you, I think, to open your offense up and do some different things,” Lynn said. “They put pressure on the defense in a different way than before.”

Despite Lynn’s remarks I believe Taylor will be the team’s starter, and it will remain that way unless he gets hurt or the Chargers aren’t winning any games with him under center.

Watch: Shane Steichen breaks down Chargers quarterbacks

A new era begins at the quarterback position for the Chargers.

The Chargers have a new identity at the quarterback position after the marriage between Philip Rivers and the franchise came to an end earlier this offseason.

Taking over the reins is Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert. Included in the positional group is Easton Stick, who will serve as the No. 3 QB (barring any additions).

All signal-callers may not necessarily have the experience or be as talented of a passer as Rivers is, but they all bring a unique skillset which includes athleticism to put the team in position to win games.

In order to get familiar with what to expect this upcoming season from the position, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen recently broke down some game film from each quarterback.

At the moment, Taylor is slated to be the Week 1 starter. However, if things don’t go well at any point of the season, Herbert will likely take over.

Chargers among best franchises at drafting quarterbacks

The Chargers have a great track record of drafting quarterbacks.

NFL clubs have a lot on the line when drafting players at arguably the most important position on the field.

ESPN’s Seth Walder ranked how all 32 teams have done when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. To stack the teams up, Walder used Pro Football Reference’s weighted career approximate value (AV) to measure production, stretching all the way back to the start of the common draft era in 1967.

The Chargers have had a lot of success at doing so, ranking No. 2 in the league, right behind the Patriots.

Here’s a look at Walder’s ranking for the Bolts along with the reasoning behind it:

Total drafted QB career AV above expectation: 197
Best value pick: Drew Brees, No. 32 in 2001
Worst value pick: Ryan Leaf, No. 2 in 1998

I saw the Chargers at No. 2, and for a moment, I thought, “Huh?” But then it clicked. Even with the Leaf disaster, the Chargers have drafted several successful quarterbacks … for other teams. The aforementioned Brees is one. Eli Manning and Trent Green are two more.

Add in Dan Fouts, a Hall of Famer drafted with the 64th overall pick who did play for them, and it all makes perfect sense.

The Chargers have a quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Dan Fouts. The franchise could possibly have another in the near future with Philip Rivers.

Rivers wasn’t drafted by the Chargers. Instead, he was involved in the blockbuster trade with the Giants. Eli Manning was the original pick. Despite shipping Manning away, he still managed to have a productive career with New York.

The Bolts were also the ones who drafted Drew Brees, who has had a lot of success with the Saints, as well as Trent Green, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams and two Pro Bowl appearances with the Chiefs.

While the franchise was victims of drafting one of the NFL’s biggest busts in Ryan Leaf, the other signal-caller’s success has outweighed the poor career from one player.

Los Angeles, who hadn’t drafted a quarterback in the first-round since 2004, is hopeful that their 2020 draft pick, Justin Herbert can pan out like the rest of the top tier signal-callers that they acquired in the past.

Bleacher Report predicts Chargers quarterback’s 2020 stats

Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert have successful campaigns based on these projections.

The Chargers quarterback room is arguably the biggest focal point heading into the new season.

After the departure of Philip Rivers, Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert take over at the position.

Both players don’t have the experience or certain elements that Rivers does, but they have unique skillsets and a strong supporting cast to help them succeed.

Taylor is in the “driver’s seat” to earn the starting job, but Herbert will push him for the Week 1 starter.

With that being said, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton predicted how Taylor and Herbert’s 2020 season will look like in both the passing and rushing category.

Here’s a look at Taylor’s projected stat line:

302 completions, 479 attempts, 3,503 yards, 23 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 87 carries, 531 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns

Here’s a look at Herbert’s projected stat line:

263 completions, 429 attempts, 2,984 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 34 carries, 251 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns

Based on the projections, Taylor will play a few more games than Herbert. I believe that Taylor will play the majority, if not, all of the contests this upcoming season.

The only way I see Herbert playing this season is if Taylor gets hurt or if he performs poorly, causing the team to lose games. The former Oregon product is a talented signal-caller, but there are weaknesses to his game that need to be strengthened before taking over.

The projections made by Moton display strong campaigns for both players, if Herbert does indeed see the field. Both Taylor and Herbert take care of the ball, throw a slew of passing touchdowns and they also win with their legs.

No matter who is under center, they should benefit from having wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, K.J. Hill, Joe Reed, tight end Hunter Henry and running back Austin Ekeler at their disposal.