3 Quarterbacks the Chargers Should Add Following Justin Herbert Injury News

The Los Angeles Chargers have done a good job of avoiding the injury, but it hit in a big way on Thursday. The Chargers announced that star quarterback Justin Herbert is dealing with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot.

Los Angeles said Herbert will be in a walking boot for two weeks and is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. However, this injury can linger throughout the season, which isn’t good news for the Chargers.

With Herbert likely sidelined for the preseason, it will open opportunities for Easton Stick, Max Duggan, and Casey Bauman to get valuable reps. But this group of QBs does not inspire much confidence if Herbert wasn’t ready for the regular season.

Therefore, the Chargers should consider exploring the free agent and trade market for another veteran quarterback to compete with those guys. Below, we’ll discuss three signal callers that Los Angeles should have on its radar depending on the progress of Herbert’s injury.

1. Ryan Tannehill

The veteran quarterback is sitting on the free-agent market after finishing the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans.

The 36-year-old quarterback only played in 10 games (eight starts) last year before the Titans moved on with then-rookie quarterback Will Levis. Tannehill recently told The Athletic’s Scoop City Podcast that teams reached out to him this offseason, but he didn’t find the best fit.

"Nothing really felt right through free agency and through that, I had a lot of peace with it," Tannehill said (h/t the Nashville Post). "Nothing outstanding jumped up, so I just said, 'Hey, I'll take a step back, and if something comes up on down the road …'

The veteran quarterback mentioned that he’ll keep his options but isn’t waiting on “pins and needles” for that call. The Chargers could be that team, who gives him that call as he’s the perfect veteran to help those playmakers at wide receiver.

In his five-year stint with the Titans, Tannehill completed 67 percent of his passes for 215.6 passing yards per game. The veteran quarterback won’t win you the game, but he won’t lose it either.

Nevertheless, if Herbert’s foot injury doesn’t improve by the third and final preseason game, the 36-year-old might find himself in Los Angeles.

2. Tyler Huntley

If the Chargers want a veteran quarterback with mobility and familiarity with Greg Roman’s style of offense, Tyler Huntley is the perfect option.

Huntley signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns this offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. Huntley is competing with second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the QB3 role in Cleveland, so it's not guaranteed that he’ll make the 53-man roster,

If Huntley wins the QB3 job over Thompson-Robinson, the Chargers will have to give up a Day 3 pick to bring him to Los Angeles. Huntley would be considered a slight upgrade over Stick, as the former Raven has a career 64.6 completion percentage.

But if Huntley doesn’t win the job, then LA could grab him off waivers, but that’s a dangerous game to play.

That said, Huntley is a solid QB option for the Chargers as he can expand what should be a good running game in LA led by Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins. All the Chargers would need him to do is make some key throws, which isn’t impossible, given his nine games of starting experience.

3. Taylor Heinicke 

Heinick is another guy the Chargers could wait to sign after preseason as he will likely not stick with the Atlanta Falcons this season.

The veteran quarterback told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he sees the writing on the wall, especially with the Falcons having Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr.

"“Yeah, I kind of see the writing on the wall,” Heinicke said after the Falcons’ open practice. “It’s nothing that I haven’t been through before. So, I accept my role in any case. My role, for me, and what I think is to help Kirk any way that I can. If he has any questions. Same thing with Mike. Sometimes the game is fast. Sometimes everything is fast for rookies.""

Heinicke is a consummate professional quarterback, who has found his role in the NFL after being in the XFL in 2020 with the St. Louis Battlehawks. The 31-year-old quarterback isn’t a better passer than Stick, but he has a ton of starting experience (29), which gives him a leg up over the other Chargers quarterbacks.

Last season, the 6-foot-1 quarterback completed 54.4 percent of his passes for 890 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions in five games (four starts). Those numbers aren’t much to be excited about.

However, his experience trumps that, as he would be an adequate spot starter for the Chargers if Herbert isn’t ready and Stick struggles in the preseason.

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