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The Chargers Made the Right Move in Picking Trey Lance Over DJ Uiagalelei
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- The Chargers Made the Right Move in Picking Trey Lance Over DJ Uiagalelei
Sunday was the deadline for NFL teams to finalize their 53-man rosters, which meant making roster cuts and trades. To get to that point, teams had to make some tough decisions regarding some position battles.
For the Los Angeles Chargers , one intriguing position battle this summer was the one for the backup quarterback spot behind Justin Herbert . It was an important one, given their offensive line concerns and how often Herbert has gotten banged up over the last few years.
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The competition was ultimately between Trey Lance , the incumbent, and DJ Uiagalelei , who went undrafted last year out of Florida State University. After the Chargers' last preseason game on Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams , there was some chatter that perhaps Uiagalelei would win that competition after he displayed some solid bursts of play, while Lance was largely mediocre or even worse throughout the preseason.
In the end, the team went with Lance and waived Uiagalelei — and in doing so, it did the right thing.
Experience and ability beat potential
Aug 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance (5) throws the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Through all three preseason games, Uiagalelei completed 24 of his 42 passing attempts for 341 yards and had two touchdown passes. Lance, meanwhile, went 22 of 38 for 237 yards and had no touchdown passes while throwing one interception.
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The thinking was that perhaps Lance had regressed, or at least not shown any improvement, which led some to feel that he could be supplanted by Uiagalelei.
However, Uiagalelei hasn't played in a single regular-season game yet. Furthermore, he got plenty of snaps on Thursday, and with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, he had the opportunity to lead a potential game-winning drive with the Chargers down 20-18.
But while he completed his first three passing attempts of the drive and got his team into Rams territory, he was then sacked multiple times afterward. On the final play of the drive, he fumbled the ball, and that was that, as the Rams recovered it.
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Lance, on the other hand, has shown flashes of his dual-threat ability since coming into the league as the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft. While he hasn't played a ton in the regular season, he has had moments where he has looked competent.
Even better, when he was a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, his offensive coordinator that season was Mike McDaniel. McDaniel, of course, is now the Bolts' offensive coordinator, which means Lance has a greater level of familiarity with McDaniel's coaching style and favored offensive scheme.
The team's fans are likely fearing that Herbert will get hurt again at some point this season. On top of that, there is pressure on the organization to finally win its first playoff game since 2018. With the depth in the AFC, and especially the depth in the AFC West, the Chargers need someone they can rely on under center should Herbert not be available for a period of time.
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That kind of situation calls for someone who has at least shown something in the recent past, not someone such as Uiagalelei who is a concept and not a proven commodity at this point in his career.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
