Calls to replace Easton Stick, the Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback, have grown in each subsequent preseason week. And for good reason. Stick has completed 50 percent of his passes and thrown for a paltry 116 yards over two games.
This is not ideal, especially in a world where starting quarterback Justin Herbert is just days removed from wearing a walking boot, which was helping correct an injury many have said is finicky and can be extremely painful.
Is Taylor Heinicke The Right Backup For The Chargers?
With the free agency pool drained of most quality players, if the Chargers want an upgrade they will have to make a deal with another team or hope a strong quarterback is cut and falls to them on the waiver wire.
In his recent article, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm suggests the Chargers would be a good landing spot for current Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Taylor Heinicke. The Falcons famously signed Kirk Cousins this offseason, then notoriously used their first-round pick on a quarterback, Michael Penix.
This obviously puts Heinicke on the roster bubble. At 31 years old and just three years removed from winning the starting role with the Washington Football Team, he will likely desire to be on a roster that gives him even a slight chance at getting on the field.
In 2021, as a starter, he led the team to a 7-9 record by completing 65 percent of his passes for 3419 yards and 20 touchdowns. The next season he was replaced by Carson Wentz as the starter but regained the job when Wentz injured his finger. Wentz eventually came back, and Heinicke was benched. He was then picked up by the Falcons in 2022 in free agency.
Heinicke is currently playing under a $4.5 million cap hit on the last year of his two-year contract. Which will fit well under the Chargers current $20 million surplus. While it would offer the Falcons some relief, as they sit with just $3 million of cap space available.
