Out of all the roster battles the Los Angeles Chargers need to sort out between now and Aug. 30, the battle for QB2 might be the most sneakily intriguing.
We've heard all offseason about the advancements former UDFA DJ Uiagalelei has made in his comfort with the offense. But there were justifiable questions about whether the Chargers would even consider replacing Lance as QB2. With his experience with Mike McDaniel and his developmental upside, it seemed as though any questions about the quarterback depth chart might simply be overblown.
It still, frankly, seems that way.
But Jim Harbaugh lent that storyline credence after the Chargers' loss to the San Francisco 49ers in their preseason matchup, when he referred to the competition as "tight" in spite of the pre and post-snap errors that limited the Los Angeles offense over the course of the game.
Jim Harbaugh said pre- and post-snap errors made it difficult to evaluate Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei, but said that the race is "tight" for backup QB.
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 21, 2026
Is there a true battle brewing between DJ Uiagalelei and Trey Lance?
Harbaugh has a fair point about the errors the Chargers inflicted on themselves over the course of the game. There were multiple flags that stalled drives, including multiple illegal formation penalties.
But we got extensive enough glimpses at both quarterbacks to render some level of judgement.
Lance looked generally more confident and comfortable in his shotgun stance and the general flow of the offense against San Francisco, but his accuracy was off all night and he was still forcing reads just like he was against Houston. He finished the night having completed 10 of his 16 passing attempts for 73 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He didn't put the ball in harm's way nearly as much as he did against the Texans, but it certainly wasn't a completely inspiring performance for the apparent leader for the backup role.
Uiagalelei played the second half, completing seven of his 15 passing attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown. Outside of that touchdown drive, which came late in the fourth quarter, he didn't look completely confident in his reads, and he missed multiple downfield targets that could've resulted in explosive plays. He also made a lot his throws off-base, and his footwork looks much more jumpy and uncertain than Lance's in the shotgun.
Ultimately, neither quarterback looked great on Thursday. But as of now, this is who the Chargers have available to them on the roster.
It's admittedly difficult to believe that Uiagalelei has a real chance to surpass Lance after how his college career ended. But we've heard enough from the coaching staff, and especially Harbaugh, to leave us with that impression. There might truly be a battle brewing here, but it's going to take a monstrous performance from Uiagalelei in the Chargers' final preseason game to make this an actual decision.
No matter how poorly Lance might play, his NFL experience gives him the clear edge over Uiagalelei. But he hasn't yet closed the door on the competition.
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