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Easton Stick was an early signing for the Chargers’ 2024 free agency, putting pen to paper with the Bolts only three days after the March 13th start of the new league year. It was a curious move for fans; Stick had four games of starting opportunity to display his five years of NFL development, and was an overwhelming disappointment on an underachieving and injury-plagued squad. After an historic Ironman streak by Philip Rivers bridging three seasons of consistent Justin Herbert starts to Drew Brees’ final seasons as the Chargers starter, the fanbase hadn’t witnessed a backup quarterback leading their offense to multiple starts since Doug Flutie in 2003. When Stick helmed the offense to a storied loss against the Raiders, he looked bewildered and overwhelmed throughout the course of the game. In the three losses that followed, he may not have looked as terrible, but he did nothing to instill confidence in his ability to play at the NFL level.
When Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh brough Stick back, one glimmer of hope remained for the beleaguered signal caller. Greg Roman had worked some wonders with quarterbacks of similar skill sets in his past, even resurrecting some careers. Whatever Easton Stick’s ceiling was, Roman’s system that had groomed multiple dual-threat quarterbacks leaning athlete-first, quarterback second was sure to get Easton there.
In one preseason game, any hope of Easton Stick taking a leap evaporated before you could answer, “Who’s got it better than us?!”
The Chargers are currently sitting on approximately $20 million of cap space, $12-13 million of which is free to spend while leaving a responsible budget behind for the practice squad and injury replacements. That should be more than enough to get Ryan Tannehill on the squad to fill in should Justin Herbert miss any games, whether Justin needs the first few weeks of the season to rest, or the team decides they need insurance should Justin end up hampered by this foot injury later in the year. On paper, Ryan Tannehill looks like a no-brainer addition to this squad.
But what if there was a player that has won in Greg Roman’s scheme, has playoff experience, is electric to watch, and is very likely available?
Tyler Huntley isn’t a perfect quarterback, but while playing in Greg Roman’s system, he is 3-4, and 0-1 in the playoffs. He does a yeoman’s job of keeping his team competitive by extending plays with his legs, and does a decent job at avoiding turnovers. The Ravens were 8-5 when Huntley took over for an injured Lamar Jackson in 2022, but he did just enough to get Baltimore to the playoffs by going 2-2 down the stretch before losing to the Bengals 16-27 in the Wild Card round. He even earned Pro Bowl honors as an injury replacement – a bid that was controversial given his four total starts on the season.
Huntley was seen as a potential breakout player potentially fighting for a starting gig after his 2022 performance, but he returned to the Ravens in 2023 as Lamar Jacksons backup for another season. His stats as a whole in 2023 look impressive, with a 99.3 QBR, but he was brought in to spell Lamar when the Ravens blew a game open and when Baltimore rested their starts against the Steelers in Week 18 after having already clinched the #1 seed.
Seeing Huntley sign with the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 offseason was curious, as the path to playing time is questionable. Deshaun Watson is entrenched as a heavily paid starter, Jameis Winston is a very serviceable backup, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson was drafted only a year ago and has shown flashes of ability. Huntley is currently a cut candidate in nearly every Browns publication you can find.
The situation in Cleveland looks to be an opportunity for the Chargers. With Huntley’s familiarity with Greg Roman’s scheme, could they decide to wait until the final-53 cuts and grab Huntley off waivers when the Browns likely try to sneak him to their practice squad, or could the Chargers try to entice the Browns with a pick swap to get Huntley in early and let him start building chemistry with the receivers while Herbert continues his recovery? It shouldn’t cost much – perhaps a 6th for their 7th, or a 7th for Huntley straight-up… either way, it’s a trade worth exploring.
An exciting brand of football? Check.
Athletic upside? Check.
Scheme familiarity and success? Check.
This looks like a no-brainer that would be a no-lose situation for Chargers fans. After all, it can’t be worse than what happened Saturday… or the last time they faced the Raiders.
This is a good read Kyle. I was thinking Tannehill would make us feel a lot more confident with a veteran who’s been a starter and at times played at a high level when he had the talent around him. However, Huntley would make more since with how the Chargers are retooling with these one year prove it deals and with players that’s played on Greg Romans offense. The signing of Huntley at this point makes more since than bringing in Tannehill as a backup that will cost more than their probably willing to spend.
Good article Kyle – great to see the content coming from you.
That said… I do not get the hate for Stick. Do I think Easton is an elite backup QB? Absolutely not. Is he an average backup QB playing for a below-average salary. While every Charger QB, including Stick, sucked against the Seahawks. Consider Easton’s play in 2023:
- Stick played behind a injured, below-average OL
- The 2023 Chargers could not run the ball.
- WR1 – WR3 were out for the majority of snaps Stick played
- In spite of all this, Stick’s PFF (66.8) was better than any QB on the Raiders roster (Minshew: 62.0, O’Connell: 65.9)
- Stick completed 63.8% of his passes for 1,129 yards, 3 TDs and only 1 INT. He also rushed for 144 yards (5.3 yards per attempt)
- Stick’s mobility is much more suited for a Roman offense
Easton had a bad game. The entire offense had a bad game. Do I think Easton’s showing in the first pre-season game of 2024 is more representative of his abilities than the 5 actual NFL games he played in 2023? Absolutely not.
Greg Roman’s offense is a much better fit for a mobile QB like Stick. I think the 2024 Chargers can win games with Easton. That said, I also think that Hundley is an interesting option. I would welcome signing him & letting him compete with Stick for the backup role.
@kevdiego hate is a strong word that I think is misused here. However, Stick has had the opportunities to prove his worth and hasn’t. If this staff is going to build a quality, resilient roster then they need to take a hard look at the backup QB position.
I don’t expect every need to be filled in Year One of the Harbaugh/Hortiz regime. That’s unrealistic. But I also don’t want to see them continue to rely on players that don’t have the skills to effectively compete. IMO, that description fits Stick. It’s not hate, it’s reality based on watching his performances.
@buck-melanoma Plus Stick hasnt won us a game though the did allow us to get Joe Alt ; )
@buck-melanoma As I said above, Stick played at an NFL-average level in his 4+ games last year in spite of having shit receivers, mostly shit OL and no running game (other than himself). His stats, while not great, are decent (and arguably better than any QB on the Raiders roster).
Did Easton have a bad game? Yes. I’m just putting more weight into his play last year vs. what we saw in the first pre-season game.
@kevdiego I agree with most of what you said, but he also fumbled five times in 4-games (losing four of those fumbles). It is the preseason, and he should be dicing up a very vanilla and undermanned defense. I can’t visit any site right now that is reviewing that game and calling out a horrific day at the office for Easton. I certainly hope that he starts playing to a mid-range back up level. That game was not that by a longshot.
I agree with much of the discourse in this chat, but I just can’t really agree that I considered Stick’s play above-average for a backup. In five games (four starting), the only passing touchdown(s) he threw over that span came after the Chargers were losing 49-0 against the Raiders. He scored three in what was the biggest garbage-time display I think I’ve ever seen as a fan, so I really put zero stock in those touchdowns.
Many of the five fumbles Stick had over that stretch were inexcusable. To my eye, he looked nothing like a QB that had been waiting in the wings for four or five years to get his “shot.”
The closest thing I could liken to how Stick looked, visually, was a situation that happens in hockey. In hockey, teams have fairly shallow rosters, and often only have 2 or maybe 3 goalies on their NHL roster. Their other goalies are on their minor league squad, and will get called up if an injury happens to make sure they always have at least two goalies available for the NHL team in case of injury/blow out.
There are rare instances where due to a weird injury bug, or a sickness, that a goalie room suddenly gets decimated the day of a game, without time to call up a minor league backup or two. Teams have a list of “emergency goalies” – which home teams will even share with visiting teams – to call upon if this situation happens. Beer league adults suddenly get a chance to suit up for a team, sometimes even play, and it leads to some of the coolest stories EVER! https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26424427/15-minutes-insane-accountant-nhl-goalie
That is what Easton Stick resembled to me at times last year. He looked like a kid that tried out to be an emergency QB, but spent his weekends playing high-stakes flag football. His sack-fumbles were maddening – I know the line was beat up, but the obliviousness to pressure was wild.
I agree with you that Roman’s offense should suit Stick due to his mobility, and have said a few times that I’m excited to see how Stick does because I’m convinced his “ceiling” will be realized in Roman’s offense. However… that doesn’t mean I think he has a ceiling worth keeping, I just think we’re going to learn what that ceiling is in short order.
As such, that performance scared the crap out of me. I’m not clamoring for Stick to be cut at all, but while we’re churning the bottom of this roster with all these new additions, I think it’s imperative to bring in another QB that has a higher floor than Stick, because we’ve seen Stick’s floor is atrocious and not worthy of starting a game. I think Huntley has a better floor and a ceiling than Stick. Tannehill definitely has a higher floor – his ceiling may be much lower than what it was, but I’m pretty sure there’s little to no hope that Stick’s best-case scenario ceiling is lower than Tannehill’s ceiling (or floor, for that matter).
While there may be some stats we can isolate and pick out to defend Stick, I can’t find a single pundit or commentator breaking down positive passing plays of his on Twitter, whereas Huntley has many instances of flashing above average (backup) decision making and ability to go through reads.
It’s such a low price to pay for such a big position – and you’re not cutting Stick for Huntley in a vacuum. Huntley likely beats him out, and Stick fights for that 3rd QB spot while Duggan is on the practice squad.
Realistically though, I can’t think of a team that would sign Stick off waivers. He seems like a no-brainer to pass right through and be a practice squad guy.
From yesterday 8/14/24 practice:
• Stick did not convert a third down in eight attempts during the third-down-focused 11-on-11 period.
@buck-melanoma Why on earth would a soon-to-be 37 year old dude who last played in the NFL in 2016 be an upgrade?
Kap had 3 decent years (2012 – 2014) followed by 2 bad years (2015-2016, where he was 3-16 as a starter) followed by being unemployed for 8 seasons. Not seeing Kap as a viable option.
If the Chargers are going to sign an over-the-hill QB with ties to the organization, I would rather have Flacco, who played well LAST YEAR (74.2 PFF, 13 TDs, 8 INTs). The other option is Ryan Tannehill.
@kevdiego Pretty sure that was a joke. Stick is getting another shot tomorrow. He better be off the charts good, not just serviceable
@pistol495 Not sure how “good” Stick needs to be tomorrow or who defines what good is. If the Chargers went out and signed Flacco or paid big bucks for Tannehill, I think I would be upset as that likely means Herbert if fucked, which means the season is fucked – not eager to hear that.
If Stick looks like shit again, I think it’s fair to clamor for a replacement. If Easton goes out and does what the coaching staff asks him to do and looks OK, then I’m OK with rolling with him as the backup.
I think the 2024 Chargers can win games with a backup QB that played at Stick’s 2023 level. That guy arguably had a better year than any Raider QB.
Perhaps you should ask Harbaugh….he’s been floating the idea per several articles I’ve read. He’s still very high on Kap. And frankly, I’d be quite willing to see what he has left after watching Stick continue to shit the bed.
He actually shot this down yesterday, Buck. He wants to bring back Kap as a coach, but was asked directly if he would consider Kap as a QB option, and he firmly told them no, it’s coach or nothing.
I watched Harbaugh’s presser yesterday & practically shut down the idea of bringing in Kap as a QB.
On the flip side, Harbaugh did mention that he offered him a job on the coaching staff in February. It obviously won’t happen this season. But I’m predicting Kap will be on the staff next season.
@lfg_boltz didn’t see that presser so OK.
I still stand by the idea that an upgrade over Stick is needed.
Agreed that an upgrade needs to be made. Disagree about Kapernick. He’s old, & it’d be a huge distraction & media circus. We don’t need that.
@lfg_boltz I was basing considering Kap on all of the glowing things that Harbaugh had to say about him.
Hell, I’d consider getting on the phone to that “over the hill” Rivers guy if Herbert’s foot ends up being a lingering issue.
Anyone who wants to screen shot this, feel free. I don’t expect this to be a top tier roster in Year One and I’ve said so….repeatedly. But if we should have to rely heavily on stick this season, you can kiss a playoff spot goodbye. I don’t believe that’s hyperbole or hate.
Agreed, Buck.
But don’t tease me about Rivers being our new backup quarterback, because I have way too much fun imagining that.
Somewhere in the multiverse, there’s a timeline where Philip backs up Herbert, starts a game or two while Herb gets back to health, and then is just an amazing player-coach to Herbie for the rest of the season.
Herbert gets a generic injury in the conference championships, and Philip leads the boys to the Super Bowl, ends up starting as Herbie is too banged up to play, and game manages his way to a one possession game with a fourth quarter drive to win it (largely led by an INSANE defense pass rushing the hell out of a resurgent Atlanta Falcons). The game is won in the closing seconds thanks to one of Rivers’ reckless bombs he often threw late on second down when he still had like a minute of clock to work with, but it finally works, and lands in the clutch into the hands of Quentin Johnston for the game-winning TD. Johnston finally develops confidence and hits his ceiling as an eventual two-time Pro Bowler. Rivers signs to the coaching staff as Harbaugh’s assistant head coach, and takes over as Head Coach when Harbaugh retires in 5 years. In his first home game as head coach, the Chargers honor him be celebrating his induction into the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee.
When I find the directions to this timeline, I’ll drop them here, and I’ll expect to see you all shortly.
I wonder if there’s a market for Chargers-based fantasy erotica?
@kylededi Every single sentence of this was completely believable until you wrote the one about Johnston catching the football.
I love the parallel universe you’re in, Kyle. Except, the one I just checked into now; the planet spins in the opposite direction. Buck is sitting shirtless in his underwear on a tall, glistening mound of gold bars with a lit cigar in one hand and an Amazon ownership title in the other, while his 11 young wives are occupied by his 30 adopted kids. On the northern hemisphere in Australia, Alister at 6’5” in a Bolts baseball cap over long hair over his back is behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler on the right side of the road opposite to the left side in the U.S. and everywhere else. For the rainy city of Sacramento and the Chargers, #17 Justin Herbert is wrapping up his 16th and last season as a Bolt with 3 championships under his belt, w/ 15 kids and a pregnant wife while mentoring a rookie QB fresh out of the draft as the #6 overall pick. The young 20-year old, unmarried, no kids and no girlfriend, #10 Philip Rivers at 6’-6” with a bazooka of an arm and a 4.41 – 40 speed is on the sideline so anxiously awaiting his time to take over behind center.
Man, I prefer this universe and especially loving my new gig at Buck’s ranch as the swimming pool cleaning and maintenance guy :))
@tui1hit Dude you absolutely killed me the @alisterlloyd long hair comment. I immediately thought of this scene:
@buck-melanoma Jim was talking about adding Kap to the coaching staff, which does not address the backup QB issue.
This article says that won’t happen until at least next year: https://sports.yahoo.com/harbaugh-says-kaepernick-not-player-023229179.html
@kevdiego fair enough. Pretty sure the article I read included musing about Kap as at least temporary backup too but that may well have been the pundit’s take.
At this point, I’d consider at least auditioning a washed up former starter. Could they really be worse than Stick or Duggan? I’d wager no.
Hopefully none of this is necessary as Herbie will continue to heal with no lasting I’ll effects.
@buck-melanoma the obvious one would be Tannehill, but I think he’d be too expensive. I’m not for breaking the bank for a backup.
I’m fine with it if the Browns cut him. I’d be hesitant to save a season if Herbert goes down, especially while we’re in rebuild mode.
We’re ostensibly in the same spot next year when it comes to holes on the roster, so from that perspective I’d rather have a bevy of cost controlled rookies than merc-ing our whole roster and praying we can replicate 20 years of developmental success that Hortiz is accustomed to.
I think its’s slightly different in that last year, it didn’t matter what happened in the last four games… a whole new staff was taking over, and the culture would be replaced.
Now, Jim can’t play “tank commander” and build the type of culture he wants with these guys. I think he needs someone like Huntley that can keep things moving, and maybe win two out of every five games he starts.
I agree with the sentiment, and would love another top-ten draft position, but I think Jim will do everything he can to prevent his first losing-record season.
Popper thinks Stick has regressed too.
If we didn’t know before that Max Duggan was not the QB “hiding in plain sight”, we definitely know now. The Chargers are cutting him today. Bummer for both parties that he was not a good draft pick and that he is most likely working his way out of the league. It is not an easy position to play.
The timing of this move is interesting.
Is Herbert healthy enough to practice, so Duggan wasn’t needed anymore?
Or is a signing coming? If so, is it competition for Stick or for Perez (QB2 or 3?)
@kylededi I was wondering myself if there is another QB coming or if Herbert will start practicing. Duggan did not play on Saturday, so the writing was on the wall that he had slid to 4th on the depth chart. Maybe they can just roll with Stick/Perez until Herbert is ready to take all of the first team snaps.
@kylededi this is a good point. Either Herbert is ready to go now, or they’re signing someone. It’s gotta be one or the other.
@spanos-must-go The Duggan experiment dies a slow and painless death. @kevdiego to take victory laps imminently 😆
My argument was always that spending a 7th round pick on a potential future QB2 is not a bad process. But at a certain point, whiffing on the evaluation becomes part of the equation. Duggan was so far below NFL standard at throwing the football accurately, he was probably a guy to take as a UDFA (if at all). Even though fans would hate it, maybe it’s the 3rd-5th rounds where useful future back-ups QBs are generally to be found in the Draft.
Spending a 7th round pick on a backup QB is not wasting the pick. Spending a 7th round pick on a dude that GOT BENCHED in his senior year because he sucked is GM malpractice. Duggan was always a wasted pick. I know it’s only a 7th round pick, but all draft picks have value. You cannot and should not waste them.
C Johnson may turn out to be a bust, but he has potential to play in the NFL. Good pick. May not work out. Duggan will never be a productive player in the NFL. Wasted pick.
He had nothing close to the arm talent needed at the NFL level. Waste of draft capital.
@spanos-must-go I may be way off base here but I believe Duggan’s weak arm contributed to some of QJ’s issues/lack of development. An article I posted by Hopper yesterday outlined some real improvement shown by QJ.
I know some of you are ready to declare him a bust. Perhaps he will be. I’m sticking with my “rookies get 3 years” mantra, especially with this regime change. Your mileage may vary.
@buck-melanoma I would agree that there is a very strong correlation between the skill/arm talent of the QB and the success and development of the WR. With that said, part of the struggle is the production of so many rookies drafted after him. I think that the Chargers FO/Staff have no choice but to be patient. At least another season. If he’s not producing in year two it will be a big hole to dig out of.
I understand the frustration that other WRs who were available are already producing. It’s valid….but it’s also not entirely on QJ. He didn’t scout & draft himself, nor did he choose to land with a dysfunctional coaching staff who, IMO, ignored his most valuable traits and misused him. They did absolutely nothing to boost his self-confidence.
I’m not expecting a complete 180 this year but I do expect serious improvement.
Max Duggan cut. A few thoughts:
- This was a frustratingly obvious blown pick. Rice or C Johnson may not make the team, but they can play and have a shot at contributing. Duggan does not have an NFL arm. He was never going to contribute to this team
- Perez is 29, a year older than Stick. Pretty clear that he’s going to be the PS QB, at least to start the season. Don’t see Luis being a developmental guy due to his age.
- I would not be shocked to see the Chargers sign a QB based on who’s cut. Maybe the current 3 players are with the team to start, but maybe only Herbert is with the team in October.
This is a VERY homer take of mine- but if the reasoning behind drafting Duggan was that it could maximize QJ’s growth, I’d have no qualms. Investing a 7th in your 1sts development is a pretty dang good investment, only doubled down by the fact you also drafted another one of the 7th’s WR’s in the 4th.
That said – it clearly didn’t pan out.
@kylededi I rarely disagree with your takes, but this is a bit of a reach. 1st round draft picks should be immediate impact staters. Having Herbert as your QB and mentors like Mike Williams and Keenan Allen should not necessitate drafting Duggan in any round. I just can’t imagine the draft room huddling up and having that be a reason for picking Duggan. It was just a poor pick. One of many many times Telesco misfired.
@spanos-must-go Fair. The point I will fall back on with Duggan is it’s very easy now to say “it was never going to work and he never had an NFL arm”.
But how much worse a prospect was he really than every other QB2 & QB3 currently sitting on NFL rosters when they were drafted.
He was a Heisman candidate who took TCU somewhere they’d never really been before and seemed to have a lot of “grit”, high football character, and an ability to use his legs to make some plays. Did it work out? Obviously not. Does that mean it was a wasted 7th round pick though? Was there a universe where that shot paid off and he got better each year and became well worth the capital expended and more valuable than some STer that could’ve been taken instead? That’s for everyone else to decide 
@alisterlloyd All fair, he could have been the next Brock Purdy. I still don’t agree on Kyle’s take that part of why they picked him was to help QJ.
It may totally be a huge reach! It’s just a thought, and what keeps me from being overly bummed about burning a 7th.
It also doesn’t excuse the QJ pick. QJ was a weird pick at the time, and is a pretty good example of why positional value needs to be secondary to BPA and needs that far back in the draft. To think that we could have had our pick of the litter at TE, a position group we’re still struggling to iron out, really bums me out.
@kylededi I believe it’s at least as likely that Duggan is one reason for QJ’s slow start in the NFL. Going from catching lobs to 100mph fastballs isn’t an easy transition for everyone. And should your #1 draft pick need to bring along his blanky?
I just can’t see where the process in selecting Duggan was a good one. But he’s gone now, as are most of the staff involved in that process, so I’m not dwelling on it.
This is a very fair counter to my suggestion – you’re probably better off getting QJ ready with a UDFA QB that has a rocket but no touch/little accuracy than Duggan… or a Jugs machine cranked up to 11…
I’m not saying it’s what I would have done, moreso making a suggestion for what may have been. I just see 7th round picks as priority UDFA’s that are almost guaranteed to land on your practice squad if you waive them, so it doesn’t give me heartburn if Duggan was thought to have some intangible that could benefit QJ and Davis.
@kylededi That’s an interesting reach. Drafting a QB that can’t throw to help your 1st round WR that had to chase down his ducks in college.
I always thought that Telesco had John Spanos scour TCU in 2022. That or turning Duggan into a gadget player (like Taysom Hill). I’m no scout, but when I watched Duggan’s TCU tape, it was pretty obvious the guy didn’t have the arm talent to make it in the NFL.
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