The Chargers have made their call behind Justin Herbert: Trey Lance has won the backup job, and DJ Uiagalelei is being waived, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
That leaves Los Angeles with its established starter and a new No. 2 to open the 2026 season. Herbert remains the centerpiece, with the possibility of an MVP-level year hanging over the Chargers’ outlook, but the team still had to settle on a dependable insurance policy.
Lance edged Uiagalelei for the role even though the final preseason game pointed the other way. Lance got two possessions and didn’t complete a pass, while Uiagalelei was sharper in extended work, going 11 for 18 for 141 yards. The Chargers still chose to move ahead with Lance.
For Lance, this is another stop in a winding NFL path. He entered the league as the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, was traded before the 2024 season to the Dallas Cowboys, and spent that year behind Dak Prescott.
He then signed a one-year deal with the Chargers ahead of the 2025 season, served as Herbert’s backup, and even started the final regular-season game. In his career, Lance has appeared in 16 games with six starts, throwing for 1,289 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.
Uiagalelei’s path has been different, but he now appears headed for another reset. He went undrafted out of Florida State in the 2025 NFL Draft, was waived during final roster cuts last summer, then returned on the practice squad during the season before signing a reserve/futures contract with the Chargers at the end of the year. He may still find his way back to the roster as a practice squad member.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Serious Offseason Addition Problem
Keenan Allens first few days with the Colts have taken an abrupt and troubling turn. The veteran receiver, who recently signed in Indianapolis after being released by the Chargers, was arrested shortly after playing a preseason game for the Colts and is now being held at the Marion County Arrestee Processing Center.
The Colts have acknowledged the incident and say they are gathering more information, but the situation already hangs over what had been a straightforward offseason addition. For a team that brought Allen in to add proven production and stability, the next steps are now about far more than football. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Final Cuts Just Forced A Tough Call In The Secondary
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Even with Smith out of the picture, the expectation is that Los Angeles will carry six cornerbacks to open the season, which says plenty about how much competition there was in camp. For a team trying to balance talent, depth and roster limits, it was the kind of final-cut call that can reshape the back end of the defense without much warning, and it leaves the Chargers with a secondary that looks deeper, but also a little more unsettled than before. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Just Reopened A Tony Jefferson Question Fans Know Too Well
Tony Jeffersons latest trip through Chargers roster cutdowns has reopened a familiar conversation for a team that has now moved on from the veteran safety in each of the past three years. Jefferson came out of a brief retirement in 2024, spent much of that season on the practice squad and then was brought back on a deal that included guarantees, only to be released again as the Chargers finalized their 53-man roster.
What happens next is still up in the air, and that uncertainty is part of why this keeps surfacing. Jefferson is free to sign with any team as a vested veteran, and the Chargers could still bring him back to the practice squad or elevate him for games, but for now he is once again on the outside looking in while Los Angeles sorts through its safety depth. [Read more 🡒]