2. Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons
After the signing of Kirk Cousins in free agency and the (however surprising) drafting of Michael Penix, Heinicke feels like the odd-man out in the Falcon's quarterback room. Back in June, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports proposed the Lions trading for Heinicke to fix their "quietly concerning" backup quarterback situation,
"Hooker has a third-round pedigree, but he's 26 and still in the learning stages of the No. 2 role, fresh off a "redshirt" season spent recovering from a torn ACL. Heinicke is a different animal, starting 28 games the last three years and showcasing enough spunk as a gutsy passer to win over multiple fan bases. He'd be sure to get the Dan Campbell stamp of approval for his never-say-die mentality, and his role is fuzzier with the Atlanta Falcons after the dual addition of Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr."
-Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
Heinicke started four games for the Falcons last year when Desmond Ridder got benched. He started 24 games over the previous two seasons with Washington, most notably starting 15 games and leading four game-winning drives in 2021. At the end of the 2020 season, he started a playoff game for Washington and topped 300 passing yards as they narrowly lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
With their decision to keep Cousins out of action in preseason games as he completes his recovery from a torn Achilles, against his will apparently, the Falcons seem primed to showcase Heinicke for a trade. Multiple teams should be aware of that possibility, including the Lions if their backup quarterback situation doesn't take a positive turn.