Chargers could have backup QB for sale if needy teams get desperate this summer

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

One of the underrated elements of the Los Angeles Chargers making a high-profile signing of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance is the flexibility it affords the team this offseason. 

Right now, Jim Harbaugh will let Lance and Taylor Heinicke fight it out for the No. 2 spot behind Justin Herbert this summer. 

But after a winner emerges? The Chargers might have some fantastic trade bait hanging right there around final cuts. 

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This is getting a little ahead of things, yet perfectly reasonable to point out, too. NFL teams get desperate for quarterbacks all the time, whether it’s simply wanting to improve backup situations or even find guys who can possibly compete for starting jobs—never mind the inevitable wave of summer injuries around the league. 

Case in point, Harbaugh and Co. weren’t happy one summer ago when they made the late-August trade for Heinicke in the first place. 

Now 32, Heinicke isn’t the most appealing trade candidate, especially if he’s losing a second-string job to a perceived bust like Lance. But he’s got 42 games of experience under his belt across multiple teams and offenses, so there’s value worth examining. 

RELATED: Proposed Chargers signing sees Los Angeles add former $36 million All-Pro playmaker

Lance has more trade upside of course, provided a super desperate team thinks itself as the one capable of finally helping a 24-year-old former No. 3 pick finally realize his potential. 

Then again, knowing Harbaugh, perhaps he keeps all three quarterbacks no matter what because, as his slogan says, competitors welcome. 

But sitting on two very capable quarterbacks behind a top-10 passer is one of those smart little things that could produce a great backup situation and a possible trade that nets future-minded assets eventually. 

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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