Trade for Taylor Heinicke should end Chargers’ quarterback worries
The mystery behind the Chargers keeping just two quarterbacks on their roster has been solved.
A day after reducing the roster to 53 players and retaining just two quarterbacks, Justin Herbert and Easton Stick, the Chargers sent a conditional sixth-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for veteran Taylor Heinicke. The trade was first reported by the Athletic.
Entering his seventh season, Heinicke will be joining his fifth NFL team. He played one season with the Houston Texans, another with the Carolina Panthers and saw action in 14 games, including seven starts.
He became the Washington Commanders’ starter in 2021 and finished 7-8. He had a career-best 20 touchdown passes that season with 15 interceptions. He started nine games the next season and went 5-3-1. With Atlanta last season, he started four games and finished 1-3.
For his career, Heinicke has completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,419 yards with 30 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Because of his experience as a starter, Heinicke should battle Stick for the No. 2 quarterback spot once he learns the playbook.
Joey Bosa and Derwin James missed much of camp time because of injuries, but the Chargers say the defensive stars will face the Raiders in the season opener.
The Chargers also added depth to their secondary Wednesday via a trade with the Tennessee Titans, who received a 2026 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for cornerback Elijah Molden.
A former third-round pick, Molden spent three seasons with the Titans. He recorded 137 tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns and two fumble recoveries.
He joins a secondary that includes his former Titans teammate, Kristian Fulton, who will start opposite Asante Samuel Jr. Other cornerbacks include Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
The Chargers also added a running back Wednesday by claiming Hassan Haskins, chosen by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and waived Tuesday.
In his rookie season, Haskins rushed 25 times for 93 yards and caught 11 passes for 57 yards, mostly contributing on special teams. He was put on injured reserve and missed last season.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sees an 18-game NFL regular season as something that will help the players financially and help teams grow fan bases.
“He is highly regarded in the league, not just on offense but on special teams,” Chargers offensive cordinator Greg Roman said. “He is a very valuable player.”
Haskins reunites with Jim Harbaugh, who coached him for three seasons at Michigan, where he rushed for 2,324 yards and 30 touchdowns.
The Chargers signed 15 players to the practice squad Wednesday, including running back Isaiah Spiller, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick who had been let go Tuesday.
They now carry a combined 14 players at running back (five) and wide receiver (nine) between the main roster and practice squad, numbers that raise a few eyebrows.
“There’s a lot of thought put into it,” Roman said. “These guys are constantly thinking about how the roster will come together. They’re playing five-dimensional chess when it comes to that.”
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