It's a bit of an odd predicament that tight end Hunter Henry finds himself in ahead of the upcoming season.
Loyal to Philip Rivers, Henry hated to see the longtime Bolts signal-caller move on.
Now, however, with Tyrod Taylor presumably the quarterback of the present and first-round pick Justin Herbert likely the franchise's future under center, the offense has more options with a mobile QB.
And so it goes that Henry and the Chargers are moving on -- hopefully with a more high-speed offense.
"I'm not going to downplay Philip at all," Henry said, via The San Diego Union-Tribune. "He was unreal and a Hall of Fame quarterback. But, obviously, it opens our offense up a little bit more. You see all these quarterbacks, their escapability in the pocket.
"[There are] so many different things that you can do with a mobile quarterback that can open your offense. [I'm] looking forward to seeing that aspect of our offense grow."
In 2018, the Chargers made it to the AFC Divisional Round and had played the regular season without Henry. With him back in the fold among a talent-laden team, the Bolts were seen by many as darkhorse contenders to reach a Super Bowl. Instead, they went 5-11.
Improvement was needed along the offensive line and, at least in the eyes of those atop the franchise, at starting quarterback. Rivers has subsequently been signed by the Colts and the Bolts are moving forward with Taylor and Herbert.
While Rivers had underrated footwork in the pocket, he certainly was never complimented for being fleet of foot. So, perhaps there is an added dimension going forward as Henry, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and others look to lead an offense that's not without talent -- just like the defense.
Regardless of how the offense changes, with Rivers' departure there's a loss of a leader, a face of a franchise and a likely Hall of Fame arm and production. Henry is set for his fifth NFL season and coming off arguably his best. All of them have been with Rivers throwing to him. To say the next season will be a vastly different one is an understatement.
"It still hasn't hit me, I don't think, because we really haven't got back together [as a team]," Henry said. "I think it will be even weirder when we're all back together and he's not there."
Indeed, the franchise as a whole will look different sans Rivers, but perhaps the offense might look a little faster.
