SAN DIEGO – We begin our positional outlooks for 2016 at quarterback. Philip Rivers had a good season statistically and finished the year healthy, but the San Diego Chargers have several holes to fill around Rivers. Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens is a free agent, and the Chargers have to figure out if Brad Sorensen can be a developmental signal-caller for the team to develop down the road.
Lock: Rivers
On the bubble: Sorensen
Free agent: Clemens
The good: Rivers led the league in passing attempts (661) and completions (437), and finished second in passing yards (4,792). Rivers threw for more than 4,000 yards for the seventh time in his 12-year pro career, finishing 10 yards shy of the single-season franchise record held by Dan Fouts (4,802). The Chargers finished with a 42-percent conversion rate on third downs, good enough for No. 8 in the NFL. Rivers completed 66.1 percent of his passes (No. 7 in the NFL) and finished with 29 passing TDs (tied for No. 12). Rivers finished No. 13 in the NFL with a total QBR of 65.9 against five or more rushers.
The bad: For a second straight season, the Chargers struggled to consistently run the football, which seemingly forced Rivers to make every critical play on offense with his arm. Rivers was sacked 40 times, eighth-worst in the NFL. The Chargers threw the football 63 percent of the time in 2015, compared to 51 percent in 2013, when San Diego had more balance on offense. Rivers threw a league-leading 639 times from shotgun or pistol formation -- that’s 100 times more than the No. 2 quarterback on the list, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. San Diego has to run more plays from under center in order to give Melvin Gordon and other running backs more of a chance to get going in the run game.
The money: Rivers enters the first year of a four-year, $84 million contract extension that will pay him $16.5 million in total compensation in 2016, counting $21 million against the salary cap. Clemens, 32, is an unrestricted free agent. Sorensen signed a reserve/futures contract and is in his third year with the team, but will again have to fight for a spot on the active roster or practice squad.
Draft priority: At 34 years old, Rivers can play at a reasonably high level for another three of four years if he stays healthy. So drafting a quarterback is not high on the priority list. Other needs should be addressed early in the draft, and perhaps a developmental prospect could be chosen on Day 3 or as a priority undrafted rookie free agent -- someone like Indiana’s Nate Sudfield. Clemens is a capable backup who knows the offense and is comfortable working with Rivers, so why not bring him back on a reasonable deal? Sorensen has a strong arm and appears to have the mental makeup for the position, but the Chargers have to figure out if he can be a long-term solution.