The Los Angeles Chargers could be set to surprise people this season with a proven winner and culture-builder in Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.
The Chargers still have Justin Herbert, one of the NFL’s best and brightest young quarterbacks, and he’s back at practice after a short bout with a plantar fascia injury.
But the depth behind him is frightful, as Easton Stick was the QB2 throughout training camp and didn’t perform well in their preseason games.
To deal with that, the Chargers have made a significant move by acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
This was in exchange for a conditional 6 https://t.co/8MsGjX0IAb
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 28, 2024
Last season, Heinicke started four games for a Falcons team that was afflicted with poor quarterback play, and the previous season he started nine games for the Washington Commanders.
Since his NFL debut for the Houston Texans during the 2017 season, he has thrown for 6,635 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions while completing 62.5 percent of his pass attempts.
The veteran gives Los Angeles a legitimate backup signal-caller it can rely on should Herbert get injured at some point during the season.
Herbert broke the index finger on his throwing hand last year and missed the final four games of the season, and the previous year he played through a fracture to his rib cartilage.
When he has been on the field, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has been outstanding, and if the Chargers get him some legitimate offensive weapons moving forward, he could move up into elite territory at the quarterback position.
