Chargers Should Sign This Free Agent Backup QB After Brutal Ranking
Chargers fans should be used to Justin Herbert getting injured by now, and that should be worrisome considering the options behind him.
A recent Sports Illustrated article ranked the backup quarterbacks in the NFL, listing Easton Stick 30th.
You may disagree with this ranking, but there’s ample evidence that you don’t want to be rooting for a team with Stick under center. And while Max Duggan is somewhat intriguing, he’s not very exciting either.
The Backup Quarterback LA Needs to Sign
Herbert only missed four games last season, but he’s had to play through several injuries already in his four-year career.
Since entering the league in 2020, he’s suffered: a chest rib fracture (2022), a shoulder labrum tear (2023), and two separate instances of fractured fingers (both in 2023).
He’s not necessarily injury-prone, but his size (6-foot-6, 236 pounds) forces defenders to hit him hard if they want to bring him down, and that doesn’t always end well for Herbert.
“I honestly don’t understand why he’s been playing through this…I hope he’s not ruining himself on a more permanent basis because of taking these hits.”
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) October 21, 2022
- The crew dives into the durability of Justin Herbert during this week’s @kfc Bucket of 🏈☠️.
📺 https://t.co/q74fhDWS8U pic.twitter.com/jVCFSOLtT2
We’ve already seen a bit of what Stick can do this past season, and it wasn’t pretty.
He’s played in just six games (five last season) completing 111 of 174 passes (64%) for 1,133 yards with just three touchdowns and one interception.
Those aren’t bad stats on the surface, but he’s failed to throw a touchdown in five of his six games and the Chargers lost all five of the games he played in last season.
The options aren’t very exciting, but there is one that’s certainly more dependable than Stick and Duggan.
Ryan Tannehill has seen his reputation take a big hit since being kicked to the curb by the Titans, but he’s absolutely capable of leading an NFL team to a couple of wins.
He has the most NFL experience of any available quarterback, and even though the results weren’t encouraging last season, his 2022 season was respectable at worst – posting 2,536 passing yards (completing 65.2% of his passes) with 13 TDs and 6 INTs.
And even if he doesn’t play, Tannehill could be a valuable asset in the mentorship of inexperienced quarterbacks like Stick and Duggan.
It’s clear that LA needs to bring in some experience at the quarterback position, and Tannehill is undoubtedly the best option on the market.
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