Chargers have a sudden answer to their Trey Lance conundrum (if they want to take it)

The Los Angeles Chargers, frankly, didn't have much to be optimistic about in the preseason performances of their quarterbacks behind Justin Herbert.

Although there was some sort of competition brewing between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei, neither truly established themselves as the QB2. Lance seems to have won the competition by default, but often, any shakeup in the quarterback room comes down to one central question— if the starter needs to miss time, can you trust any of your depth pieces to help keep the team afloat?

It's difficult to answer that question in the affirmative for either Lance or Uiagalelei at this point.

It seems as though the Chargers will stick with Lance through this season and see if they can squeeze some continued development out of him through his reunion with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. But the Jacksonville Jaguars' trade for Quinn Ewers has now left veteran quarterback Nick Mullens on the market, and that's an option Los Angeles could explore if they feel the need to upgrade at the position.

Nick Mullens could be a worthy signing for the Chargers if they don't feel comfortable with Trey Lance

As mentioned above, Lance seems to have won the QB2 competition essentially by default.

He was outplayed by a slim margin in the Chargers' three preseason appearances. Uiagalelei completed 24 of his 42 passes for 341 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Lance completed 22 of his 38 passes for 237 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.

But neither player showed a desirable level of comfort within the offense. Lance didn't often find success through the air on anything more than single-read passing plays, and he was too ready to answer problems with his legs, jumping out of the pocket at the earliest opportunity. Uiagalelei made some nice throws, but he still seemed shaky in the pocket and his mechanics looked as inconsistent as ever.

Having a reliable, veteran quarterback—even one with a limited ceiling—could be a desirable option or Los Angeles.

Across eight NFL seasons, Mullens has 533 of his 808 passing attempts for 6,448 yards and 34 touchdowns—coupled with 31 career interceptions. He hasn't started a game since he was with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, but he does have 20 career starts under his belt and was a capable backup during his time in Jacksonville.

He's not a player that will ever compete for a QB1 spot, but the Chargers don't need that in their room. What they need is a serviceable and consistent backup, and Mullens can be that even in spite of his high turnover rate.

There will likely be multiple teams across the NFL with some level of interest in Mullens once roster cutdowns are completed, so it's unclear what sort of chance Los Angeles might even stand were they to enter the fray for his services. But it's certainly something worth thinking about as their initial 53-man roster starts to take shape.

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