No More QB Battles in Washington, Los Angeles: Haskins, Taylor Named Starters

Tyrod Taylor with Browns in 2018
Tyrod Taylor with Browns in 2018. Photo by Jp Waldron/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

Two offseason battles for the starting quarterback position have already been decided.

The Washington Football Team and the Los Angeles Chargers have announced that their starting QBs for the beginning of the 2020 season will be Dwayne Haskins Jr. and Tyrod Taylor, respectively.

Neither of the two decisions comes as much of a surprise. Washington coach Ron Rivera announced on Wednesday that Haskins will be starting Week 1 against the Eagles. Haskins started nine games in his 2019 rookie season, taking over for veteran Case Keenum who was benched due to his poor play.

Haskins didn’t have much competition in training camp this year. It was between him and former Carolina Panthers QB Kyle Allen and veteran Alex Smith, who is still working his way back to full health from an almost career-ending leg injury he suffered two years ago.

While the Redskins chose to go with the young player, the Chargers are sticking with veteran Tyrod Taylor, in the wake of QB Philip Rivers leaving this offseason after 16 years to join the Indianapolis Colts.

The Chargers drafted their potential future franchise quarterback in this year’s draft, taking Oregon QB Justin Herbert with the 6th overall pick.

But as expected, their plan is to sit Herbert in his first year to allow him to learn from veteran Taylor and get accustomed to the NFL before taking over.