Chargers QB Depth Chart: Breaking Down the Options After Justin Herbert Injury

The Los Angeles Chargers' offseason curse continued on Thursday, receiving terrible news on star quarterback Justin Herbert. Ian Rapoport reported that Herbert will "be in a boot for two weeks, then gradually work his way back." The plan is to have him ready for the regular season, but this is still bad news, and any setbacks could leave L.A. having to start someone else in Week 1.

The backup quarterback situation doesn't get much attention until a starter gets hurt. Let's take a closer look, and familiarize ourselves with the rest of the Chargers' quarterback depth chart while Herbert is out.

1. Easton Stick

It's a good thing the Chargers got a new one-year deal done with Easton Stick this offseason. The soon-to-be-29-year-old backup was a free agent after starting four games for the Chargers with Herbert sidelined in 2023.

The team didn't have much success with Stick at the helm, going 0-4, but his play fell firmly into that "good enough" range that you want out of a backup.

Completing 63.8% of his passes, throwing for 225.8 yards per game, and finishing with 3 touchdowns to 1 interception isn't a stat line that singlehandedly loses you games. It won't be the reason you win games either, but few backups are capable of doing that on their own.

In what promises to be a run-heavy offense, the Chargers could hand the keys to Stick again without it being a total disaster. Still, if Herbert is going to miss any time, fans would probably like to see a veteran join the room to compete with Stick for a potential starting role. Ryan Tannehill is still available, for example.

2. Max Duggan

Max Duggan was the Chargers' seventh-round pick (No. 239 overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was waived during his rookie training camp, signing to the Chargers' practice squad after clearing waivers.

Duggan spent a grand total of 11 days (December 12 through 18 and December 22 through 25) on the active roster, being repeatedly waived and re-signed to the practice squad before inking a reserve/future contract for this offseason.

Duggan was a four-year starter at TCU, and he didn't show much as an NFL prospect until his senior season. That year he threw for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns with 8 interceptions, leading TCU to a 12-2 record.

Duggan also has plenty of versatility in the rushing game, having run for an average of almost 40 yards per game with 28 TDs on the ground in college.

3. Casey Bauman

If you haven't heard of Casey Bauman, don't worry about it — nobody will take away your Chargers Fan Club card.

The Chargers signed Bauman as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft, where he probably wasn't on your radar as a prospect either. Bauman's college career saw him play three years at Montana State before transferring to Augustana University (I'll save you looking it up — it's in South Dakota).

Bauman's Vikings went 11-2 behind his 221.4 yards per game, 29 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Those numbers obviously aren't terrible, but considering he did it against NSIC competition they also don't exactly inspire a ton of confidence in his ability to immediately transition to the NFL level.

Injured: Justin Herbert

Herbert, obviously, is the QB1 when he's healthy. After making it through full 17-game seasons in both 2021 and 2022, however, he's at risk of making it two straight seasons with missed games. Nobody will call him injury-prone, but the fact remains that the Chargers need to put more thought into the backup quarterback spot than they have in recent years.

Re-signing Stick seems to be a vote of confidence in his ability to fill in when Herbert goes down. But rolling into Week 1 with Stick, Duggan, and Bauman as the only available passers could be a disaster.

Hopefully, Herbert will make a full recovery with no setbacks and this whole conversation becomes a moot point.

More Los Angeles Chargers news and analysis: