Ahead of their highly anticipated match-up against the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame on Thursday, the LA Chargers have announced that the recently acquired Trey Lance will feature in the starting lineup for the game. As such, the 25-year-old quarterback will be donning the Chargers’ colors for the first time, having only joined the side in April of this year.
Trey Lance to start Chargers’ first preseason game vs. the Detroit Lions
On July 29, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed a horde of reporters to share details regarding his team’s upcoming clash against the Lions. In his briefing, Harbaugh confirmed that Trey Lance will be occupying the position of starting quarterback in the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame game.
Chargers reporter Alex Insdorf has reported that the veteran tactician plans to deploy Lance for the first half, as well as for some part of the third quarter. Harbaugh has planned to hand undrafted free agent DJ Uiagalelei his NFL preseason debut in the game, covering for the time that Lance spends on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Taylor Heinicke will serve as the third backup option for the team in case of an emergency. Usual starter Justin Herbert will understandably miss out on the game.
In addition to Lance’s inclusion, the Chargers coach also confirmed appearances from Omarion Hampton, Tre Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and Derius Davis in the said fixture, as reported by Insdorf. Moreover, “veteran traditional starters” including Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, Mekhi Becton, and Bradley Bozeman, alongside Herbert, will have to watch the action from the crowd, stated Harbaugh, according to Insdorf.
Having made his NFL debut in 2021, Lance has yet to prove his mettle in the biggest football league on the planet. After playing a bit-part role with the San Francisco 49ers, the 2019 Walter Payton Award winner joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2023 with the hopes of hitting the ground running. Nevertheless, he only featured on the pitch for the Mavericks in the absence of Dak Prescott, making a grand total of four appearances for the team. Lance now has the chance to turn things around, and an impressive performance in the Chargers’ preseason opener should help him achieve that goal.
