The mystery behind the Chargers having only two quarterbacks on their roster has been solved.
A day after trimming 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.
Heinicke is entering his seventh season and joins his fifth NFL team. He played one season with the Houston Texans, another with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in 14 games, including seven as a starter.
He became the Washington Commanders’ starting center in 2021 and finished 7-8. He had a career-best 20 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions that season. He started nine games the following season and went 5-3-1. With Atlanta last season, he started four games and finished 1-3.
Heinicke has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards with 30 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in his career. Because of his experience as a starter, Heinicke should compete with Stick for the No. 2 quarterback position once he learns the playbook.
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The Chargers also bolstered their secondary on Wednesday with a deal with the Tennessee Titans, who received a 2026 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for cornerback Elijah Molden.
Molden, a former third-round pick, spent three seasons with the Titans, recording 137 tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns and two fumble recoveries.
He joins a second team that also features 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 acquired a running back on Wednesday in Hassan Haskins, who was selected by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and waived on Tuesday.
In his rookie season, Haskins rushed 25 times for 93 yards and caught 11 passes for 57 yards, contributing primarily on special teams. He was placed on the injured list and missed last season.
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“He’s highly regarded around the league, not only on offense but on special teams,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “He’s a very valuable player.”
Haskins reunites with Jim Harbaugh, who coached him for three seasons at Michigan, where he threw for 2,324 yards and 30 touchdowns.
The Chargers signed 15 players to the practice squad on Wednesday, including running back Isaiah Spiller, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick who was waived on Tuesday.
They now have a total of 14 players at running back (five) and wide receiver (nine), split between the main roster and the practice squad. Those are eyebrow-raising numbers.
“There’s a lot of thought that goes into it,” Roman said. “These guys are constantly thinking about how the roster is going to be put together. They’re playing five-dimensional chess when it comes to that.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
