Please say sike: Chargers remain non-committal to Justin Herbert

Chargers QB Justin Herbert. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Chargers refuse to name Justin Herbert as their starting QB

The Los Angeles Chargers have gone 0-3 the past three weeks, but that has little to do with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. After Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung during a routine injection, Herbert has stepped in, and quite wonderfully at that. However, Chargers’ head coach Anthony Lynn remains non-committal on the rookie gunslinger despite his success.

Completing 72 percent of his passes, Herbert has stepped in for Taylor and thrown for just a measly 931 yards passing and five touchdowns. He is averaging over 300 yards per game and has ignited the Chargers’ offense with his ability to push the ball vertically down the field.

This is not Taylor’s first rodeo

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Taylor has been here before.

Back in 2018, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns where he was named the starting quarterback. First overall pick Baker Mayfield sat behind Taylor for the first two and a half games before the veteran went down with an injury in Week 3 of that season. Mayfield stepped in and led the Browns to their first victory in nearly two years.

With Taylor out, Mayfield continued to cook, and the Browns were left with no option but to leave Taylor on the bench. With Herbert being drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Taylor knew what his role was going to be with the Chargers in 2020, so it will come to no surprise to him when he will inevitably be named the second string quarterback behind the rookie gunslinger.

So why are the Chargers so hesitant to commit to Herbert for the future?

Coach-speak or reality surrounding Justin Herbert?

Is Lynn just showing support for the team captain and leader of the locker room by not publicly benching him permanently, or is there real conversation that Herbert may return to the bench? Hoping for the best, this seems like classic coach-speak, knowing the change of the guard has already happened without tossing any disrespect to the veteran in Taylor.

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For the sake of his confidence and development, and in the better interest of the team moving forward, there is no argument for moving the live arm of Herbert back to the bench in favor of the safer and more conservative Taylor despite his active success. Instead, expect Taylor to continue to play a big role in Herbert’s ear moving forward, and expect him to be ready to go in case of an injury.

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