Training camp provides an opportunity for even the players with the longest odds of making an NFL roster the chance to impress coaches and take advantage of every single rep. But there are inherently certain players facing longer odds than others, even among undrafted rookies.
The LA Chargers are fresh off of an 11-win season, finishing the 2024 season as the top Wild Card team in the AFC and showing huge signs of progress in the first year of the Jim Harbaugh era.
The roster being as good as it is, it's already going to be tough for undrafted players to make it. But the Chargers have one obvious rookie, in particular, who is going to need an absolute miracle to crack the roster or even make it all the way out of training camp.
That rookie is former five-star recruit DJ Uiagalelei, one of the most fascinating college football quarterbacks of the past handful of years.
DJ Uiagalelei facing impossible odds to make Chargers roster at training camp
At one point, DJ Uiagalelei was being projected as a future 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft. He was the 2nd-ranked overall prospect nationally, a five-star recruit, and the heir to Trevor Lawrence as the quarterback at Clemson.
Uiagalelei's combination of arm talent and athleticism was supposed to translate immediately, but that didn't end up happening. Not only did he struggle, but he ended up transferring twice during his collegiate career. After three years at Clemson, Uiagalelei ended up at Oregon State for a year before spending this past season at Florida State where he only played five games.
The fact that he got signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chargers was already a big enough shocker, but he'll enter training camp under the microscope anyway, because there's still a fascination with how things could play out for him.
The Chargers added Taylor Heinicke as Justin Herbert's backup and brought in free agent Trey Lance this offseason as a fascinating wild card option at the position. Barring an injury to one of those guys, it seems like Uiagalelei is auditioning for a practice squad spot, at best, or maybe a trade to another team if he really crushes it in the preseason.
There's going to be even more pressure on Uiagalelei because he is wearing the jersey No. 13, which belonged to one of the best receivers in Chargers history, Keenan Allen.
As NFL teams start to divide reps, the Chargers won't be under any obligation to keep Uiagalelei around if he can't hit the broad side of a barn in camp. He's going to have to prove himself worthy of those reps he'll be taking from Trey Lance and Taylor Heinicke in order to even make it out of camp.
The uphill climb begins.