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Jim Harbaugh: Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei are in a tight race for backup QB

Jim Harbaugh is undecided on Chargers' backup QB, with Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei in a tight race.

First seen Aug 21, 2026 · 2:01 PM UTC · last updated Aug 21 3:17 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Justin Herbert remains the unquestioned starter here, and nothing in this report changes his draft stock — the backup competition is background noise for QB1 purposes, not a QB1 concern. Treat him per his normal draft slot with no added risk from this news.

For the actual backup battle, this is strictly a bench/story-line item for now. Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei are competing for the No. 2 job in Los Angeles, and Jim Harbaugh hasn't made a call yet. Neither player carries fantasy value as a backup in a normal season — this only matters if Herbert were to miss time, and there's no injury news attached to him here. Given that, neither Lance nor Uiagalelei is worth a roster spot in most draft formats right now; they're speculative stash candidates at best in deep dynasty or two-QB leagues where you're banking on Herbert missing time and want to guess right on the handcuff.

If you're in a deeper league and like to roster contingency pieces, keep an eye on this battle as camp progresses — whichever player wins the job becomes the more relevant "Herbert injury insurance" add, but that's a late-round dart throw, not a priority. Confidence on any actionable takeaway here is low: both sources rate this a 50% confidence, low-impact item, and the competition itself is still unresolved. File this away and revisit once Harbaugh names a backup — at that point the winner becomes mildly more draftable as a deep-league stash, and the loser likely droppable.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh remains undecided about who quarterback Justin Herbert's backup will be when the regular season starts.

Coverage from Yahoo Sports Nfl · read original