Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Desmond Ridder

Tuesday, August 26, 8:05 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers have released quarterback Taylor Heinicke, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Heinicke was outplayed in the preseason by Trey Lance, who has made the team and will serve as the backup to Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old Heinicke has played seven seasons in the NFL and made 29 starts. He's been a capable backup for stretches of his career and should be able to find a new home rather quickly. For fantasy purposes, a Herbert injury would now make Lance a priority waiver-wire addition due to his dual-threat ability at the quarterback position.

Tuesday, August 26, 1:53 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing quarterback Desmond Ridder on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Ridder was brought in off the street in July to push Jake Browning for the QB2 spot behind starter Joe Burrow, but it didn't work out, and Ridder will once again become a free agent searching for a team. It's possible that the 25-year-old returns to Cincy's practice squad during the 2025 season if he doesn't latch on with another organization. Ridder was taken in the third round (74th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, but he was turnover-prone and quickly wore out his welcome in his two seasons there before spending 2024 with the Raiders. In his lone season as the Falcons' starter in 2023, Ridder threw for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 picks in 15 games (13 starts).