USA TODAY International Edition
QB decisions being made
The Los Angeles Chargers are turning to a veteran to lead them into the post- Philip Rivers era.
Tyrod Taylor will be the team's Week 1 starting quarterback ahead of first- round rookie Justin Herbert, coach Anthony Lynn announced Wednesday.
“Right now, Tyrod Taylor is our starter,” Lynn said in a news conference. “Until someone can step up and show that they can run this team, that's the way we're going into it. Tyrod Taylor is our starter.”
Taylor, 31, served as Rivers' backup for the Chargers last season. His last stint as a regular starter was for the Buffalo Bills from 2015- 17. In 2015- 16, Lynn went from being the team's associate head coach to its offensive coordinator and later interim head coach.
The nine- year veteran gets the nod ahead of Herbert, whom the Chargers selected with the No. 6 pick in April's NFL draft. The 6- 6, 236- pound rookie from Oregon will serve as the team's backup.
Los Angeles parted ways this offseason with the 38- year- old Rivers, the franchise's starter since 2006 and its all- time leader in passing yards and touchdowns passes.
The Chargers kick off their season on Sept. 13 at Cincinnati.
Washington: Coach Ron Rivera on Wednesday announced Dwayne Haskins will be Washington's starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's not a surprising development but a confirmation that the 2019 firstround pick did enough to earn the job under Rivera's new regime. Haskins got the nod over Kyle Allen, whom Rivera knew well from his time with Carolina, and veteran Alex Smith, who's less than two years removed from traumatic leg injury.
“Dwayne's lived up to everything we talked about in January,” Rivera said. “He deserves the opportunity. He's going to get the opportunity, and he's going to get my support.”
Rivera noticed Haskins getting ahead of the learning curve in training camp after no in- person offseason workouts disrupted the 23- year- old's opportunity to learn new offensive coordinator Scott Turner's system.
“I just wanted to come in and show how much work I put in this offseason,” Haskins said Monday. “I'm just trying to do my best and master the offense as much as I can on a daily basis.”