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Chargers choose Tyrod Taylor over first-round rookie Justin Herbert to start Week 1

The Los Angeles Chargers will replace Philip Rivers with another NFL veteran. Tyrod Taylor will open the season as the Chargers’ starter at quarterback, head coach Anthony Lynn confirmed Wednesday.

The move shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Chargers have consistently signaled that Taylor, 31, would open the year as the starter. It helps that Taylor should be familiar with the team’s offensive system. Taylor spent 2019 with the Chargers. He was Rivers’ primary backup, and only threw six passes last season.

Over his career, Taylor has proven to be a dual threat under center. He’s thrown for 54 touchdowns against 20 interceptions in nine seasons in the NFL. He’s also rushed for 1,843 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

Taylor will look to show off those skills when the Chargers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.

When will Justin Herbert start for Chargers?

Taylor may give the Chargers the best chance to win in Week 1, but no one views him as the future of the organization. That title belongs to Justin Herbert, who the team selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Herbert, 22, has many of the physical traits NFL teams desire in a quarterback — good size, strong arm — but struggles with accuracy and decision-making. Our own Eric Edholm ranked Herbert as the 18th best player in the 2020 draft.

While it could take time for Herbert to be ready — especially considering the lack of a normal NFL offseason — he’s not expected to remain on the bench too long. At some point in 2020, the Chargers will want to see what they have in their first-round pick.

Can Tyrod Taylor hold off Justin Herbert?

That’s not an unusual position for Taylor. He has plenty of experience playing in front of a highly drafted rookie. That’s exactly the role Taylor served with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Taylor started the team’s first three games that season, but was eventually replaced by Baker Mayfield.

Taylor could be in for a repeat of the that situation if he gets out to a slow start in 2020.

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