It hit Jim Harbaugh like an unblocked rusher coming around the edge.
There’s nobody who can do what Justin Herbert does, Harbaugh said Thursday with wide eyes and arms open, so why coach anybody else as if they could?
The first-year Chargers head coach is taking drastic measures with his quarterback, leaning into Herbert’s one-of-a-kind talent by splitting the quarterback room to let Herbert continue on his superstar trajectory while allowing Easton Stick and newly acquired veteran Taylor Heinicke to grow in a separate, but competitive backup battle.
Harbaugh plans to separate the meetings and devise unique game plans to emphasize each quarterback’s strengths.
With Herbert in a stratosphere of his own, Harbaugh felt it was unfair to coach Stick and Heinicke — who was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons that became official Thursday — the same way he coaches his star.
“They can’t try to replicate Justin and what he does, from every way: the footwork he takes, the reads that makes, the throws that he attempts, he’s unreplicable,” Harbaugh said. “Anybody that’s in that same quarterback room with him, you’ve got to get out of your mind what he can and does do and concentrate on doing your game.”
The unique setup came to Harbaugh in an epiphany this week after watching months of practices. Even when he coached Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick — two quarterbacks with opposing skill sets — in San Francisco, he didn’t do this. But he’s never had a quarterback like Herbert.
“Nobody else is 6-6, 240 pounds,” Harbaugh said, “can stand in the pocket with people draped on him and still throw a ball 40 yards down the field on a dime, as the young people call it.”
The situation will take more work for the coaches, Harbaugh acknowledged. The hope always will remain that the Chargers never need to deploy one of the emergency game plans tailored to Stick’s or Heinicke’s strengths instead of Herbert’s.
But Harbaugh, who was a star quarterback at Michigan before a 14-year NFL career, said he is trying to put himself in Stick’s cleats. The 28-year-old North Dakota State alumnus has been a backup since he was drafted in 2019 and last season finally moved up to No. 2 behind Herbert, drafted a year later.
“I think Easton, in particular, we’re not doing him in any favors by coaching him the same way as Justin Herbert,” Harbaugh said.
Stick started four games last season when Herbert was out with a broken finger. He completed 63.8% of his passes, throwing for three touchdowns and one interception but went 0-4 as a starter. Still, the performance was enough to earn him a new one-year contract in March to reprise the backup role.
When Herbert suffered a foot injury during training camp, however, the understudy’s opportunity at center stage didn’t go as smoothly. Stick struggled during preseason games, failing to lead a touchdown drive for the first two games. After efficiently piloting the offense in limited opportunities last season, Stick’s accuracy dipped to 41.4% during the preseason. He had three passes intercepted in as many games.
The shaky preseason performance forced general manager Joe Hortiz to keep shopping for backup options. The Chargers sent a 2025 seventh-round draft pick that could convert to a sixth-rounder to the Falcons for Heinicke, who is entering his seventh season in the NFL with a fifth team.
Heinicke, who was not seen on the field Thursday during practice, has starting playoff experience after taking over for Alex Smith in Washington in 2020, playing in an NFC wild-card game. He followed the performance by starting almost every game of the 2021 season, going 7-8. During his regular-season career, he has completed 62.5% of his passes with 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
“I like the way he competes on the field,” Harbaugh said. “I like the way he plays his game. As a quarterback, I think that’s really important.”
Heinicke’s addition was the latest in a string of Hortiz’s moves to tinker with the roster. Since setting the 53-man roster Tuesday, the Chargers also have traded for former Titans defensive back Elijah Molden and claimed running back Hassan Haskins off waivers.
Since the start of training camp, the Chargers have signed nine players, traded for two and claimed another off waivers. Under former general manager Tom Telesco, the Chargers never brought in more than eight players during a single training camp, according to the Associated Press.
Hortiz and Harbaugh are playing “five-dimensional chess” when it comes to roster construction, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. Harbaugh, crediting his father, has started calling the Chargers general manager “Chef Hortiz” for the way he’s adding ingredients to the roster as each new piece brings the same flavor.
“Competitors welcome,” Harbaugh said, “from any state, from any country, any team. Competitors are welcome at the Los Angeles Chargers.”
Etc.
Chargers players elected six team captains Thursday, led by Herbert. Center Bradley Bozeman and offensive lineman Rashawn Slater are the other offensive captains. Safety Derwin James Jr., edge rusher Khalil Mack and linebacker Denzel Perryman represent the defense. The team will have a rotating special teams captain for each week based on the previous week’s performance.
