The Los Angeles Chargers have no questions at the top of the depth chart at the quarterback position with star quarterback Justin Herbert returning to the team. But the team did make a pretty significant addition this week to add a little bit of depth behind him.
According to a report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Chargers have acquired veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke via a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. The Chargers sent a conditional sixth-round pick to the Chargers in return for the quarterback.
Heinicke has quite a lot of experience in the league, starting 29 games over the course of his six-year career in the NFL. He started 15 games for the Washington Commanders in 2021 and even started four games last season for the Atlanta Falcons after the team decided to bench previous starter Desmond Ridder, who has also been traded away from the Falcons.
With Atlanta signing veteran Kirk Cousins and drafting rookie Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft earlier this year, Heinicke found himself buried on the depth chart with the Falcons. This move allows him to move on somewhere where he has a chance to be a backup quarterback when he was going to be no higher than third in Atlanta.
