Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Chargers ruled out six players.
The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from opening up the 2024 regular season against the Raiders.
Here is a look at their inactive players today:
QB Taylor Heinicke
CB Tarheeb Still
RB Kimani Vidal
OL Jordan McFadden
WR Brenden Rice
DL Justin Eboigbe
Heinicke is the emergency third quarterback.
Remember the last time Washington faced Tampa Bay?
“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.
Washington 29, Tampa Bay 19 – Week 10, Nov. 10, 2021
Taylor Heinicke had perhaps his finest game for Washington, leading the Football Team to an upset win at FedEx Field over Tampa Bay 29-19.
Heinicke completed 26 of 32 for 256 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions, while the defending Super Bowl champion Tom Brady threw two interceptions that set up scores for Washington.
The 6-2 Buccaneers, though the road team, entered the game a solid 9.5-point favorite. But the Football Team, which was 2-6, found itself up 13-0, as Brady was intercepted twice.
Joey Slye connected on field goals from 56 and 28 yards. Heinicke connected with DeAndre Carter from 20 yards, and Washington led 13-0 in the second quarter.
Following a Buccaneers field goal, Joey Slye connected again, this time from 29 yards, with 58 seconds remaining in the half for a 16-3 Washington lead.
Brady connected with Cameron Brate from six yards, narrowing Tampa Bay’s deficit to 16-13 with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Antonio Gibson scored from a yard out, extending Washington’s lead to 23-13 at 4:21 of the third quarter.
Brady then found Mike Evans from 40 yards, and the Bucs closed to 23-19, but Ryan Succup’s extra point was missed, meaning the Bucs couldn’t tie with a field goal but would need a touchdown.
Washington then drove 80 yards in 19 plays, taking 10:26 of time. Gibson again scored from one yard for the final 29-19 margin.
Terry McLaurin led Washington with six receptions for 59 yards, and Carter contributed 3 for 56 yards. Evans led Tampa Bay with 62 receiving yards, and Chris Godwin contributed 57. Brady finished 23 of 34 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Note: This was the game Washington defensive end Chase Young tore an ACL and was thus out for the remainder of 2021 and most of 2022.
After cutting their roster to 53 players on Tuesday, the Chargers brought in three new players.
The Chargers set an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but that changed after the team made a few roster moves over the past couple of days.
Here is a look at the updated squad:
Quarterback (3): Justin Herbert, Taylor Heinicke, Easton Stick
Running back (4): Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, Hassan Haskins
Wide receiver (7): Josh Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko, Brenden Rice
Tight end (3): Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Stone Smartt
Offensive line (9): Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, Brenden Jaimes, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Foster Sarell
Edge rusher (4): Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree
Interior defensive line (6): Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Teair Tart, Scott Matlock, Otito Ogbonnia, Justin Eboigbe
Linebacker (4): Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, Troy Dye
Cornerback (6): Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart
Safety (4): Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, AJ Finley, Elijah Molden
Specialists (3): K Cameron Dicker, P J.K. Scott, LS Josh Harris
The Chargers made several roster moves on Thursday.
The Chargers made several roster moves on Thursday, including making the signing of quarterback Taylor Heinicke official.
Los Angeles will send the Falcons a 2025 seventh-round pick that converts into a 2025 sixth-rounder if certain conditions are met.
In correspondence, the team released safety Tony Jefferson and waived running back Jaret Patterson. Jefferson was signed to the practice squad.
Additionally, L.A. signed center Sam Mustipher and tight end Eric Tomlinson to the practice squad. Cornerback Robert Kennedy was released from the practice squad.
Mustipher spent the 2023 season with the Ravens, appearing in seven games and starting two. Before that, he spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears, where he made 40 starts.
Tomlinson has played in 85 career games (53 starts) between seven teams (Ravens, Texans, Broncos, Giants, Raiders, Jets and Eagles). He has totaled 27 receptions for 280 yards (10.4 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
Taylor Heinicke is on the move.
Former Commanders’ fan favorite, Taylor Heinicke, was traded Wednesday by the Atlanta Falcons.
This past offseason, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and drafted Michael Pennix in the first round. So Wednesday, the Falcons decided to trade Heinicke to Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Falcons will receive a conditional sixth-round draft choice in the 2025 NFL draft. The Chargers quarterback room was in a bit of a quandary. They had cut Luis Perez, while Easton Stick had an unimpressive preseason. If that wasn’t enough, starter Justin Herbert has been battling plantar fasciitis.
Herbert is practicing and working through it, but the Chargers saw they needed someone with actual regular-season experience who could learn the offense quickly.
Commanders fans will recall that then-head coach Ron Rivera had released quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith was injured as his heavily damaged leg was wearing down in December, and Heinicke, who was taking classes toward an engineering master’s degree, was signed by Washington.
Heinicke dove in head-first, learned the offense, and started the 2020 playoff game against Tampa Bay. He passed for one touchdown and one interception. The former Old Dominion Monarch quarterback also executed perhaps the most exciting play by a Washington quarterback since the 2012 Robert Griffin season.
TAYLOR HEINICKE SHOWS OFF HIS WHEELS FOR SIX 💨
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/GvJpLhZz1Z
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2021
He struggled with consistency too often in his three seasons with Washington (2020-22), but certainly no one will argue that Taylor Heinicke was a leader on the team and made some fantastic plays while with the Commanders.
Here’s 3 minutes of Taylor Heinicke highlights, a Washington Football Team legend 👀🍿#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/5slLZrgDxA
— Wam ✞ (@AllProWam) June 20, 2024
Breaking down what the Taylor Heinicke trade means for the short and long term future of the Chargers quarterback room.
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.
The Chargers have acquired quarterback Taylor Heinicke in a trade with the Falcons.
The Chargers have acquired quarterback Taylor Heinicke in a trade with the Falcons.
In return, Los Angeles is sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to Atlanta.
The acquisition of Heinicke comes after Easton Stick’s struggles in training camp and preseason. He will now compete with Stick for the backup job behind Justin Herbert.
Heinicke has played for six teams (Vikings, Patriots, Texans, Panthers, Commanders, and Falcons). Across six seasons, he has a 62.5 completion rate with 39 touchdowns to 28 interceptions and 112 carries for 588 yards and three touchdowns.
As a starter, Heinicke is 13-15-1.
Undrafted out of Old Dominion, Heinicke finished his collegiate career with a 67.7 percent completion rate for 14,959 yards, 132 TDs and 39 interceptions to go with 367 carries for 1,320 yards and 22 more scores.
The Falcons have traded QB Taylor Heinicke to the Chargers, according to a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini
When the Atlanta Falcons released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s inclusion was one of the biggest surprises. The Falcons invested heavily in the quarterback position in the draft and free agency, leaving Heinicke’s role unclear going into 2024.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Josh Kendall, Atlanta has traded Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers for a conditional sixth-round pick. An Atlanta native, Heinicke has passed for 6,635 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions since entering the league as an undrafted free agent.
The Falcons have traded QB Taylor Heinicke to the Chargers, sources tell @JoshTheAthletic and me
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 28, 2024
Heinicke, 31, signed a two-year deal with the Falcons in 2023, appearing in five games (four starts) and passing for 890 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions last season. Atlanta switched back and forth between Heinicke and Desmond Ridder all year with underwhelming results.
The Falcons traded Ridder to the Cardinals over the offseason and now Heinicke lands in Los Angeles with new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
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“You see a lot of special things during practice and camp, those are the things that make me want to stay here,” said Heinicke
The Falcons ended their three-game preseason slate at home with a 31-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, preseason wins and losses are not measured on the scoreboard, but by individual moments on the field from players fighting for jobs.
One of those players who was featured heavily in the preseason was veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The 31-year-old could see the writing on the wall regarding his long-term future in Atlanta after the team listed both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix ahead of him on the depth chart. Heinicke didn’t let that hold him back from saying he wanted to remain in Atlanta.
“I would love to be a part of the Falcons,” Heinicke said following Friday’s loss. “I think this is probably the best roster I’ve been a part of when you look at it from top to bottom. I think Raheem is building something special here. If not, I love the game of football. I just want to keep playing.”
Taylor Heinicke: "I would love to be a part of the Falcons. I think this is probably the best roster I’ve been a part of when you look at it from top to bottom. I think Raheem is building something special here. If not, I love the game of football. I just want to keep playing."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) August 24, 2024
Heinicke complimented the team’s work ethic under Morris throughout training camp, saying it was rough but the players improved.
“I’m sure every guy in that locker room will tell you it was a little rough, but we got better every day, you see it,” said the Atlanta native. “Again, you see a lot of special things during practice and camp, those are the things that make me want to stay here.”
It hasn’t been a great preseason for Henicke, who had a poor performance in the opener before playing slightly better over the next two games. Some believe the Falcons could trade Henicke, but there’s no guarantee he will make the team if not.
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NFL analyst names Falcons quarterback a possible trade candidate ahead of roster cut deadline…
The Atlanta Falcons played musical chairs with their quarterbacks last season, switching back and forth from Desmond Ridder to Taylor Heinicke from week to week. Ridder started 13 games and Heinicke started four, but neither could solidify the starting job.
It was no surprise to see the team heavily invest in the quarterback position over the 2024 offseason. The Falcons traded Ridder, signed Kirk Cousins, and drafted Micahel Penix Jr. in the first round. While Heinicke took a pay cut to remain in Atlanta, some are questioning whether or not he will make the 53-man roster.
Eric Edhold of NFL.com listed 15 players who could be cut or traded ahead of next week’s 53-man roster deadline and Heinicke was mentioned as a potential trade candidate:
There’s nothing wrong with keeping Heinicke if the Falcons value having a quality third QB, but if he’s not going to make the 53-man roster, it would make sense to move him.
Heinicke has a 2024 salary cap hit of $4.53 million, an affordable price for a solid backup quarterback. By trading the 31-year-old, the Falcons would free up $1.2 million and incur a dead cap hit of $3.3 million. Edholm mentions the Chargers, Rams, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Packers as possible suitors for Heinicke.
Regardless of what happens with the veteran QB, the Falcons are comfortable with Michael Penix Jr. as their primary backup to Cousins. Penix played well in the preseason opener and it appears the coaching staff has seen enough of the rookie, ruling him out for the final two preseason games.
Heinicke could play in Friday’s preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars if the team wants to maximize his trade value ahead of the NFL cut deadline on August 27.
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