NFL Prop Bet: Is Justin Herbert Chargers' Week 1 Starter?

The Los Angeles Chargers took Justin Herbert with the 6th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Will he be their starting quarterback by Week 1?

The 2020 NFL Draft is finally behind us and rosters are starting to take shape. When training camps open later this summer, football fans will have their eyes on position battles across the NFL. Quarterback controversies can often be a distraction to a team, so head coaches like to quiet those rumblings when they can. That leads us to the following prop bet.

Bovada has a prop bet on whether or not Los Angeles Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert will be the Week 1 starter. If you think Hebert will be the starter, it's definitely worth putting some money on it at +235 odds. If you think Tyrod Taylor will be the starter, then you have to lay heavy juice at -370.

One of the biggest moves of the NFL offseason was Philip Rivers leaving the Chargers. Rivers was with the organization for 16 seasons and was their starting quarterback for 14 of them. Rivers had many good years with the Chargers and is a borderline Hall of Famer, but he was terrible last season and a change of scenery was needed for both parties. 

Rivers picked up and moved on the Indianapolis Colts while the Chargers seemed to be content rolling with Taylor for the upcoming season. Everyone knew the Chargers would be in a good spot to draft their quarterback of the future, which they did, but Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn really likes Taylor and will give the veteran the first opportunity to lead the team in the post-Rivers era. 

I, like Anthony Lynn, am a big fan of Taylor and think he deserves an opportunity to be a starter in the NFL. Lynn and Taylor worked together with the Buffalo Bills when Lynn was the offensive coordinator. Taylor may not be the most exciting quarterback in the league but he will protect the football, which is very important to the coaching staff in Los Angeles. 

Herbert was the third-ranked quarterback prospect in this draft class. He has a big arm and good touch all over the field. He is a young man with plenty of upside, but for him to see the field in Week 1 Taylor would have to fall flat on his face. 

Los Angles Chargers reporter Jason B. Hirschhorn feels the same way, writing: 

"Lynn's comments echo those he made before the draft affirming Taylor's place as the front-runner for the starting job, at least in Week 1. The veteran signal-caller spent several seasons as the starter for the Buffalo Bills during a period in which Lynn served as an offensive assistant and later an interim head coach. For the myriad physical gifts and upside that Herbert possesses, Taylor offers a plug-and-play option to begin the season."

I'm not the type of sports bettor who will lay -370 on a future prop like this, but that's the smart money and it shows in the price. If you are sprinkled on the +235 for Herbert to start Week 1, you are basically banking on a Taylor injury during training camp.

The Play: NO (-370)

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