The Los Angeles Chargers, to this point in the preseason, haven't had much to be inspired about in their quarterback room.
We can set to the side the starters' lone, three-and-out drive against the San Francisco 49ers. The main object of focus, right now, should be on if there's enough confidence in either Trey Lance or DJ Uiagalelei to take significant snaps during the regular season if they're called upon.
The answer should be no at this point.
While neither player has been absolutely horrendous during the preseason, neither seems to have a real command of the offense or the consistency in their mechanics to feel comfortable with them as QB2. Lance is still too limited in his reads and too ready to answer problems with his legs, and Uiagalelei is still suffering from the same mechanical inconsistencies that limited him during his disastrous college tenure.
If either player is going to answer the call, though, it should be Lance—and he'll get one final chance to do so in the Chargers' final preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Trey Lance needs to have a solid performance against the Rams—for the sake of the everyone's peace of mind
Harbaugh has said that, as of now, the competition is still "tight" between Uiagalelei and Lance for the QB2 role. As much as Lance has left the door open with his pair of sub-par preseason performances, it's hard to believe that's anything more than a theoretical statement.
Neither should be trusted to step in for, say, three or four games during the regular season, and Uiagalelei's complete lack of NFL experience should likely slate him for the practice squad for at least one more season. Herbert has only missed a significant stretch of games just once in his six NFL seasons, so this is still only a purely hypothetical concern for Los Angeles.
But if Lance is going to confidently hang onto the backup QB role—even by default—he still needs a strong showing against the Rams.
Although his numbers against the Houston Texans weren't bad—he completed 12 of his 20 passing attempts for 164 yards and an interception—he routinely put the ball in danger, forcing his reads and miscuing his receivers on multiple occasions. He looked more confident and comfortable against the San Francisco 49ers, completing 10 of his 16 passing attempts for 73 yards, but there was still plenty to be concerned about in his consistency as a passer.
Lance will get one more chance to make things right. Even with the starters slated to play two series against the Rams, it's hard to imagine Lance won't see significant reps before the regular season kicks off. Even if he can simply avoid putting the ball in harm's way and keep Mike McDaniel's offense moving over the course of the first half, that should be enough to quiet some of the concerns.
After a blowout defeat at the hands of the 49ers, it's a pivotal game for more than just Lance. Both the Chargers' starters and the backups need to acquit themselves in terms of effort and rep-to-rep consistency.
But if Lance can't put up a solid performance against the Rams, expect the calls for his replacement to only grow louder heading into the regular season.
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