Chargers Officially Name Justin Herbert as Starting Quarterback

• Chargers name Justin Herbert as full-time starting quarterback
• Herbert will keep the job after Tyrod Taylor returns from injury
• Herbert’s odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year have improved to +600

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn confirmed Thursday that rookie Justin Herbert will be the team’s starting quarterback moving forward. Herbert, who was the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft out of Oregon, was pressed into emergency duty in Week 2 after incumbent starter Tyrod Taylor was injured.

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Taylor had to be taken to the hospital after a team doctor accidentally punctured one of his lungs while injecting him with a painkiller for a rib injury before LA’s Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Herbert wound up performing exceedingly well in the team’s close overtime loss to the Chiefs, and the Chargers have been impressed by what Herbert has done ever since.

This means Taylor will be LA’s backup whenever he’s ready to return from his injury. The LA Chargers ruled Taylor out indefinitely following the aforementioned pregame incident last month.

Herbert’s Strong Start

While the Chargers are 0-3 in Herbert’s starts, his overall numbers are excellent. He has completed 72 percent of his throws for 931 yards with five touchdowns to three interceptions thus far. He has also carried the ball 12 times for 47 yards with another score.

The Oregon product completed 20 of 25 throws for 290 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 38-31 loss to Tampa Bay. All three of the team’s defeats since Herbert took over have come by a margin of seven points or less.

Lynn said,

“This is why we brought him here: to be our franchise quarterback.”

Tough News for Taylor

Taylor led the Chargers to their lone win of the season back in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s another tough blow to the NFL journeyman, who also lost his last starting job to injury.

He was injured in the third game of the season back in 2018 as a member of the Cleveland Browns, and Baker Mayfield then took over as the starter on a permanent basis.

Taylor spent last season as the backup to Philip Rivers, who left the Chargers this past offseason to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. Lynn was adamant all preseason long that Taylor was his team’s unquestioned starter, but Herbert’s unexpected progress has essentially forced the Chargers to make the move a permanent one.

Big Test In the Big Easy

Herbert will play his first game as the Chargers’ new full-time QB1 this Monday night in New Orleans against former Charger Drew Brees and the Saints. There has been discussion about potentially moving the game because of the hurricane slated to hit the Gulf Coast this weekend, but the plan for now is to keep the game in New Orleans.

The Chargers are 7.5-point underdogs against the 2-2 Saints.

Herbert started the season as a long shot betting option to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he has improved his odds considerably with his strong start to the campaign. Herbert is now at +600 to win the award, behind only Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (-110) and Kansas City’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire (+300). The tandem of former LSU Tigers both had a head start on Herbert after beginning the season as the starting quarterback and running back for their respective teams.