Former Browns starting QB Tyrod Taylor agrees to join Chargers, passing on Dolphins
There just aren’t many available starting quarterback jobs in the NFL, a testament to the depth at the position these days. The Miami Dolphins have one, but nobody seems to want it.
Teddy Bridgewater came back to New Orleans to be Drew Brees’ backup. And Tyrod Taylor, a starter to begin last season with the Browns, accepted a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers where he’ll be Philip Rivers’ backup. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news. Taylor was rumored to be a target of the Dolphins, who also missed out on Bridgewater.
Taylor, who has started 46 games in his career between the Browns and Bills, is one of the league’s more accomplished backup quarterbacks, a position the Chargers have rarely invested in behind Rivers.
Tyrod Taylor didn’t land with the Dolphins
In other years, Taylor probably would have been able to land a starting spot. He has always been a solid quarterback, with an 89.6 passer rating over his career and good running ability.
But the only team that really feels it needs to land a starting quarterback is the Dolphins. They reportedly tried for Bridgewater. They were tied to Taylor after that didn’t work out. The level of interest in Taylor is unknown (Rapoport reported he was a “top target” of the team), but it says something that Taylor went to the Chargers with absolutely no chance to start unless Rivers gets hurt.
The Dolphins might be stuck with Ryan Tannehill for another year, because there aren’t many enticing options left. Reports have said they planned to tank for a quarterback in the 2020 draft class, and they might not even have much of a choice anymore.
Why did Taylor pick the Chargers?
Perhaps Taylor saw the same opportunity Bridgewater did. Bridgewater presumably sees the possibility of Brees retiring soon, and then he’d be next in line to take over.
Rivers is coming off a very good season, but will turn 38 years old during this season. It’s hard to say how long he’ll keep going at a high level.
The Chargers end up getting a capable backup, which they’ve rarely had since Brees left and Rivers took over as the full-time starter. Rivers has been remarkably durable, starting 208 consecutive regular-season games since taking over, but he is getting older.
Taylor is looking at sitting and watching Rivers, which apparently is better than starting for Miami.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
