The Los Angeles Chargers received unfortunate news when quarterback Justin Herbert was diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. Given the expected extended absence and Herbert's recent injury history, should the Chargers go sign veteran free agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill?
Why the Chargers could make a move
The Chargers have three backup quarterback options: Former fifth-round pick Easton Stick, 2023 seventh-round selection Max Duggan, and 2024 UDFA Casey Bauman. Only Stick has NFL playing experience, and it was uneven at best. In about four and a half games of starting last year, Stick threw for 1,132 yards and ran for another 144. The two main issues were turnovers and sacks, where Stick either fumbled or threw an interception six times and was sacked 14 times. The latter was as much his fault as it was the offensive line's, where holding onto the football too long led to a strip sack on several occasions.
General manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh have made it very clear they wish to be competitive every year. Does Greg Roman have it in him to take Stick's game to the next level? The Chargers need to start hot in what looks to be a crowded AFC and cannot afford to lose the winnable games on their easier schedule.
The organization may need to be overly cautious and buy as much quarterback insurance as they can. This injury will have been Herbert's fourth in three years: Cracked ribs in 2022, two finger injuries in 2023, and now his right foot. Should this injury drift into the regular season or worsen with game action, the Chargers would need to have several viable options to keep their year alive.
Why Ryan Tannehill
The 2023 Cleveland Browns are a great example of how mining the backup quarterback market can pay dividends. The team had to cycle through a starter and two backups before arriving at Joe Flacco, who guided the team to a Wild Card game.
Ryan Tannehill is three years younger than Flacco and is, per himself, keeping options open as training camps unfold.
The best of Tannehill's career came under an Arthur Smith offense (at least in Tennessee) that was built on the run game, the offensive line, and a play action passing attack. There is enough overlap in basic philosophy between that offense and Roman's offense that Tannehill should be able to run it well enough.
The Chargers have a far superior offensive infrastructure than what Tannehill worked with his final year with the Titans. Hortiz has over $20 million in available cap space right now and could easily sign the veteran quarterback. Keep an eye on Herbert's progress and look out for more information as this continues to unfold.
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