Chargers HC: Taylor is QB1 but Herbert will get shot to win job

The Los Angeles Chargers will give rookie quarterback Justin Herbert a chance to win the starting role during 2020.

While Tyrod Taylor will begin the offseason program atop the depth chart, head coach Anthony Lynn won't rule out the No. 6 overall pick taking the job from the 10th-year pro.

"We're going into this thing: Day 1, Tyrod Taylor's going to be starting it off," Lynn told Albert Breer of The MMQB. "He's earned that right. His teammates respect the hell out of him, he's a leader on this football team. Our young quarterback's gonna learn a lot from Tyrod Taylor. Tyrod Taylor's one of the most respected players on our team, and he doesn't say a whole lot either. …

"(But) it's a competition, bro. There's a competition at every position, not just this one. I can't just say Tyrod's gonna be the starting quarterback for the whole year if this young man goes in there and wins the job."

Prior to the draft, the Chargers were reportedly prepared to roll with Taylor as their starter instead of bringing in another veteran passer. But L.A. used its first-round pick on Herbert, anointing the former Oregon standout as the ideal long-term successor to Philip Rivers, who left in free agency.

It's rare for a rookie quarterback to sit early in their career, especially those taken within the top 10 of the draft. Moreover, Herbert started 43 games for the Ducks before leaving as a senior, making him one of the more experienced first-year signal-callers.

Taylor, meanwhile, has been in this situation before. In 2018, he started three games for the Cleveland Browns before losing the job to No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield.