The Los Angeles Chargers have a number of roster and position battles to keep an eye on over the remainder of their offseason program.
UDFA Nadame Tucker will be vying for a roster spot in the outside linebacker room, while both Kyle Kennard and Bud Dupree will need to do their best to fend him off and hold onto their places on the depth chart. Along the offensive line, both Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey will be fighting for depth guard spots as Jake Slaughter, Kayode Awosika, and Trevor Penning duke it out for the starting job. Even at inside linebacker, UDFA Lander Barton and special-teams contributor Marlowe Wax will be fighting to wrench a rotational role away from Junior Colson.
For the most part, however, the Chargers' roster is set— especially at quarterback.
Justin Herbert will be Los Angeles' starting quarterback as long as he's in town. Given his regular-season production and the strides he's set to take under Mike McDaniel's offense, it would be ridiculous even to question that fact. Trey Lance, meanwhile, is locked in as the backup after signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal to stay with the Chargers.
But as third-string quarterback DJ Uiagalelei continues to fight to carve out a role in the NFL, his performance this offseason could have major implications moving forward. Although Uiagalelei will likely stay on the practice squad for another season, a strong showing from him through the rest of the offseason program could set the stage for him to supplant Lance in 2027.
The Chargers will have another Trey Lance decision to make next offseason. DJ Uiagalelei could capitalize.
The position of backup quarterback takes on significantly less importance for Los Angeles with Herbert in the fold. Over the course of his six-season career, Herbert has only missed significant time once— when he suffered a broken finger in 2023 that limited him to just 13 games.
In 2025, Lance saw just one start in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos as the team rested their starters in anticipation of their Wild Card Round matchup. It would be unfair to evaluate Lance according to that performance. But on the surface, his numbers in that game weren't very promising. Lance posted just 20 completions on 44 attempts for 136 yards and an interception in that start.
At the same time, though, the Chargers have clearly liked what they've seen from Lance, at least as a backup. Jim Harbaugh sung his praises back in April, and the organization seems to believe that there's still meat on the bone in terms of Lance's development.
If Lance is seeking out a starting opportunity at the NFL level, though, Los Angeles likely isn't the right place to do it. The Chargers need to be prepared for Lance's eventual departure.
That's where Uiagalelei comes in. The former Clemson starter essentially tanked his draft stock during his final season in college, posting just 1,065 yards and four touchdowns across five games at Florida State before he suffered a broken finger that caused him to miss the remainder of his senior season. He later signed with Los Angeles as a UDFA.
His potential as a mobile quarterback was always there, however, and it seems as though Los Angeles is at least willing to partially invest in his development. Even though he's slated for another year on the practice squad, seated firmly on the depth chart behind Herbert and Lance, he'll have another year with a new offensive staff to try to prove himself.
If he's able to impress throughout this offseason program, he could establish himself as the successor to Lance as the Chargers' QB2. Of course, his practice-squad reps will matter as well. But outside of the course of the regular season, Uiagalelei can attract more eyes and more attention from the coaching staff.
Los Angeles clearly has no problem rolling with an unproven quarterback as their backup, and Uiagelelei has a chance to capitalize on that opportunity by the time we reach 2027.
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