The Los Angeles Chargers had battles to sort out all over their roster during their three preseason matchups, and for the most part, we got clarity on how things will ultimately shake out at the roster deadline on Aug. 30.
Even if there was never a real competition at the quarterback spot to begin with, it's gotten plenty of attention purely by virtue of the spotlight the position commands. Trey Lance was obviously the favorite from the start to come away with the QB2 job, and it was going to take a string of massive preseason performances from DJ Uiagalelei to disrupt that.
In one sense, Uiagalelei did outplay Lance in the preseason. He was able to keep the offense moving more consistently than Lance, and he had more impressive passing plays than the fifth-year quarterback.
Jim Harbaugh has maintained to this point that the competitions has been "tight" between the two quarterbacks. But he tipped his hand on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams— Lance played just two drives before he was taken out of the game for Uiagalelei.
That certainly seems like the protocol for a player who has locked up his job in the preseason finale.
Trey Lance will be the Chargers' backup QB in 2026— but how long can he hang onto the job?
Neither Lance nor Uiagelelei were particularly inspiring during their string of preseason games.
Lance never truly looked comfortable in the pocket or in the flow of the offense, struggling to hit his receivers in stride and answering problems too often with his legs. He's still too ready to exit the pocket, and it's rare to see him successfully execute more than a single-read passing play. He finished the preseason having completed 22 of his 38 attempts for 237 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.
Uiagalelei looked promising in stretches, especially at the end of the matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. But many of the problems that led him to go undrafted last offseason are still rearing their heads. His footwork is inconsistent and choppy in the pocket, and his accuracy still isn't all there.
He finished the preseason having completed 24 of his 42 attempts for 341 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The Chargers need to seriously consider whether they can trust either of these pieces, either in the long-term or the short-term, to step in if Justin Herbert needs to miss any stretch of time. But for now, the differentiating factor for Lance is likely his NFL experience and his previous work under Mike McDaniel— even if he was outplayed by a slim margin in the preseason.
Lance played the 2021 season under McDaniel when he was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers, and he at least has some level of comfort in what will be asked of him in a West Coast-style offense. If the Chargers are able to script a game plan around Lance, they can likely gain some downfield momentum and YAC opportunities with their starting wide receivers.
Uiagalelei isn't at that level yet, and that's likely why Lance has prevailed in this competition. If there was ever a true battle, Lance was always going to be the clear favorite.
But assuming the Chargers roll with Lance for the entirety of this season as their QB2, and this competition remains the same next offseason, Uiagalelei has shown enough during his preseason stint to at least wonder whether we might see a real battle at this time next year.
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