Los Angeles executed their second trade of the day on Wednesday, sending a conditional sixth-round pick to Atlanta for quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
Heinicke was just 20-of-44 passing for the Falcons this preseason, finishing with 206 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. Due to be the QB3 in Atlanta behind Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr., he was a prime trade candidate for a team like the Chargers.
LA’s quarterbacks struggled all preseason – Easton Stick was 25-of-55 passing for 303 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Other passers did not play the week that they were waived: Casey Bauman after the first preseason game, Max Duggan after the second, and Luis Perez after the third.
The Chargers also did not sign Perez to their initial practice squad on Wednesday, signifying that Los Angeles was going to make a move for an external quarterback.
The 31-year-old Heinicke has started 29 games in his six-year NFL career, giving Los Angeles a battle-tested veteran option behind starter Justin Herbert. With a career 39:28 touchdown to interception ratio, Heinicke is willing to take risks with the ball, but he’s shown the capacity to keep an offense on schedule when predicated on quick game and play action.
Ideally, Heinicke will not see the field for the Chargers, but if he does, those proclivities will mesh well with the Greg Roman offense. Roman’s scheme is based on the short passing game with designed play action shots once the run has been established. Heinicke doesn’t have the arm strength to propel those shots down the field as consistently as someone like Herbert or even Stick, which will require an adjustment if Heinicke has to play.
Despite Stick’s disappointing preseason, he will likely remain on the active roster for the time being as Heinicke adjusts to the new offensive scheme. In the short term, that means that the Chargers will have to find another player to cut to make room for three quarterbacks on the 53 man roster. Running back Jaret Patterson is the presumed cut for the earlier Elijah Molden trade. The Chargers still have seven wide receivers and eleven defensive backs on the roster after that move, which could leave one of Brenden Rice, Simi Fehoko, or Tony Jefferson vulnerable to make room for Heinicke.
Long term, Heinicke’s days of competing for starting jobs seem to be over. Known as a tremendous locker room presence and leader, the 31-year-old will likely round into more of a veteran backup role, one that he could reprise with Los Angeles after this season despite being due for free agency following the 2024 season. That sort of stability would prevent issues like this preseason from repeating for at least the next few years and should come at only nominal cost to the Chargers.