The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-8, the season has gone off the rails, and yet Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Houston Texans still produced one small bright spot: DJ Uiagalelei got his first NFL snaps and immediately guided a touchdown drive.
That cameo came in the final minutes at SoFi Stadium, after a brutal afternoon for Justin Herbert. Herbert was sacked a career-high eight times, and the last one - Logan Hall’s hit on the first offensive snap of the fourth quarter - hurt the middle finger on Herbert’s left hand.
Herbert stayed in long enough to connect with Quentin Johnston on a 58-yard touchdown, snapping a 37-drive scoring drought. Then Jim Harbaugh overruled his quarterback’s desire to keep going and turned the final two possessions over to the undrafted rookie out of Florida State.
Uiagalelei didn’t light up the box score, finishing 2-of-7 for 24 yards. But his first drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass over the middle that trimmed the Texans’ lead to 41-22. It also gave the Chargers two touchdowns in one quarter, more than they had scored in the previous month.
For a quarterback whose college path ran from Clemson to Oregon State to Florida State, and came with plenty of criticism along the way, it was a low-key but meaningful introduction to the league.
The bigger issue, though, is what Herbert’s hand injury means. A quarterback already taking that kind of punishment can’t afford a finger problem, and if the swelling gets worse or the grip on snaps becomes an issue, Uiagalelei is suddenly the next man up.
At 6-foot-4 and around 250 pounds, he has the size to shrug off arm tackles and add something with his legs, which could matter for an offense that has spent the year living in long-yardage situations. Mike McDaniel’s quick-timing passing game was built to get the ball out before the pocket collapses, and a quarterback willing to run could, in theory, help ease some of the protection issues that have battered Herbert all season.
Accuracy has long been the question with Uiagalelei, and a 2-of-7 debut won’t change that conversation. Still, Herbert remains the starter, and he has said he will do whatever he can to be 100 percent. Even in a season this far off course, the Chargers at least got a glimpse of a contingency plan that didn’t blink when the moment arrived.
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Justin Herberts latest scare came in the middle of a season already asking plenty of the Chargers offense. The quarterback hurt his left middle finger against the Texans, adding a new layer of concern to a unit that has not found much comfort this year, with Herbert taking his share of sacks and throwing multiple interceptions.
Jim Harbaugh provided the immediate relief after the game, saying Herbert is expected to be ready for the next matchup, but the bigger question around Los Angeles is unchanged. Herbert remains slated to lead the offense again, and the Chargers will need cleaner play around him if they want to avoid turning one injury scare into a much larger problem. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to tighten up its own defense, the decision is going to draw questions from fans who saw Henley as one of the more dependable pieces in the middle. Denver clearly believes he can help its own coverage issues, but for the Chargers, the timing and the return leave plenty of room for second-guessing. [Read more 🡒]
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Henleys departure adds to the sense that more roster changes could still be coming as the Chargers weigh their options. With speculation already swirling around other notable names, the front office appears willing to keep listening if the return matches its long-term plan, even if it means parting with more recognizable pieces before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]