Why did the Chargers select QB Max Duggan?

Max Duggan was selected in the 7th round of this year’s NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. Even though it was the last round, many Charger fans voiced their displeasure towards the selection.

Here’s why the pick makes so much sense.

Chargers QB luck

For the past decade, the Chargers have always had a reliable quarterback in Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. Throughout Rivers’ career he never missed a game, once given his first start back in 2006.

Herbert is also yet to miss a start since getting put on the spot in Week 2 of his rookie season.

This made Chargers fans very frustrated when the Chargers used a pick to select a position that may never play.

Herbert has a much different play style than Rivers, which puts him much more at risk to injury. When Herbert fractured his rib cartilage last season, it raised serious concerns. 

Positional need 

Chargers have made it a habit to bring in veteran quarterbacks as the backup to be more of an extra coach. The most recent was the 36-year-old quarterback Chase Daniel.

Daniel got limited playing time, but when he did, he was not as sharp as he used to be. He was brought in by former offensive coordinator of the Chargers, Joe Lombardi. When Lombardi was out the door, Daniel was as well.

This left a gap at the backup quarterback position. The only other on the roster was Easton Stick. Stick has had flashes in past preseason games with his athleticism, but his accuracy is not up to NFL caliber just yet.

With the addition of Duggan, there is a camp battle going on for who will be named the 2nd string between him and Stick.

New emergency QB rule

The most significant rule change for this upcoming season is the emergency quarterback rule. It allows teams to roster three quarterbacks without it counting towards the 46-man game day roster limit if the other two suffer an injury that game.

This rule was made from the idea of John Harbaugh and the Ravens. They suffered multiple injuries to their quarterbacks throughout last season, especially towards playoff time.

It became a major concern when the 49ers lost all of their quarterbacks in the NFC championship game last season. Brock Purdy having to play that game with a serious injury to his elbow ruined what could have been a great game. The 49ers had four passers go down throughout the season, however they would only roster two for game days last season.

The new rule change gives teams no excuse now to not have a solid backup quarterback on the roster. 

The Chargers have always relied on their quarterback staying healthy, but without the Ironman, Rivers being there anymore adds the need for a talented backup.

What Duggan can bring to the 2023 Chargers

Duggan was coming off his best season of his collegiate career, throwing 32 touchdowns, ranking 10th among all passers last season. He also threw only eight interceptions, giving him a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio.

He led the 13-2 Horned Frogs all the way to the championship. However, they were well out matched by Georgia’s NFL talent on defense, leading to Duggan’s worst game of the season.

This left a bitter taste in many fans about Duggan ignoring his accomplishments such as being the runner-up for the Heisman trophy behind winner Caleb Williams.

A glaring reason the Chargers selected Duggan is the familiarity with his TCU teammates. They selected Duggan’s top two receivers ahead of him in the first and fourth rounds.

The chemistry between the trio makes all of their transitions easier as they know each other like.

Duggan at the very least is there just for the new emergency third quarterback rule and practice reps. Don’t sleep on the Heisman runner-up Duggan, or he may surprise a lot of people.

Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including midseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.

Featured image courtesy of TCU Football
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