Chargers waive QB DJ Uiagalelei, clearing path for Trey Lance as Herbert's top backup

The Los Angeles Chargers are trimming their quarterback room behind Justin Herbert. The team is waiving DJ Uiagalelei with the hope of re-signing him to the practice squad if he clears waivers, per Tom Pelissero, which would leave Trey Lance in position for a second straight season as Herbert's top backup.

Uiagalelei, the former Clemson and Oregon State prospect, joined a Chargers depth chart that already featured Lance behind the franchise quarterback. With Herbert durable and entrenched, the battle was always for the No. 2 job, and Lance — who spent last season in that role — appears to have held it. Los Angeles would prefer to keep Uiagalelei around on the practice squad as insurance rather than lose him entirely.

For a Chargers team coached by Jim Harbaugh, depth behind Herbert matters, but the pecking order is now set: Herbert, then Lance, with Uiagalelei a practice-squad call away. The move is a routine cutdown-week transaction, but it confirms the team's comfort with Lance as the immediate relief option should Herbert ever miss time — a role Lance has been building toward since arriving in Los Angeles.