One thing has been abundantly clear since Jim Harbaugh became the head coach of the LA Chargers: everything the team says about injuries should be taken with a grain of salt. For some reason, this also applies in August when the games don't even count.
The Chargers are always tight-lipped about injuries and it has caused the fanbase to worry on more than one occasion. The most recent example is Mekhi Becton, who has not practiced in over two weeks with something the coaching staff keeps calling minor.
The Chargers aren't just tight-lipped about injuries, though. In some cases, the coaching staff outright lies to fans about what is going on. This is exactly what offensive coordinator Greg Roman did regarding backup quarterback Trey Lance, who did not practice on Tuesday.
Roman insisted on Tuesday that Lance's absence had nothing to do with an injury. Instead, Roman said that Lance sat out so Justin Herbert and Taylor Heinicke could get more reps. Less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that it was nothing but a farce as Lance showed up to practice with a brace/wrap on his right hand. He didn't take any team reps or throw at all on Wednesday.
Here’s Trey Lance with some kind of wrap/brace on his right hand during warm ups pic.twitter.com/rWw77kvxgc
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 13, 2025
Trey Lance's suspected hand injury shakes up Chargers' QB2 battle
One of two things can be true at this point in time. Roman could be telling the truth and Lance may have actually sat out on Tuesday so his other quarterbacks could get more reps. He then could have shown up to practice on Wednesday wearing a brace for style purposes, while also deciding once again not to throw while he is fighting for a roster spot.
Or Lance suffered some kind of hand injury and Roman outright misled reporters and the fanbase when he was asked about it on Tuesday.
One of those two options has to be true, and we know which option we believe.
Fans who watched the game on Sunday saw Lance hit his hand on a helmet, which is likely the cause of this potential injury. How long this will impact Lance remains to be seen, but it does have a tangible impact on the backup quarterback race.
Lance was arguably ahead of Heinicke for the QB2 spot but that is now in flux. If Lance has to miss an extended period of time then the job will default to Heinicke. The Chargers would likely keep Lance around on the practice squad and could eventually elevate him to QB2 later in the season.
That's assuming Lance doesn't get claimed by another team. After a strong preseason showing to this point, it wouldn't be unheralded for another team to bring Lance in as a backup if they get into quarterback trouble.
It's impossible to know what really is going on with Lance, and Chargers fans shouldn't expect to get answers from the coaching staff any time soon.