Chargers' QB usage behind Justin Herbert gets mysterious ahead of final cuts

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

At this point, things feel obvious for the Los Angeles Chargers at quarterback behind Justin Herbert ahead of final cuts. 

Still, a little extra mystery to keep things interesting never hurt, right? 

While Trey Lance appears to be ahead of Taylor Heinicke for that No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Herbert, it was easy to presume that the remaining training camp reps would tell the story. 

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And they have, at least a little, though as Daniel Popper of The Athletic explained, offensive coordinator Greg Roman kept things vague about why Heinicke wasn’t part of the rotation at all recently: 

“Quarterback Taylor Heinicke did not participate in team drills. Trey Lance got all the second-team work, and rookie DJ Uiagalelei worked with the third team. When asked why Heinicke did not participate in team drills, Roman said, ‘I got to ask about that.’”

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Humor aside, it remains to be seen if the Chargers would actually keep three passers on the final depth chart and cough up depth at another position. 

While Herbert has dealt with nagging injuries over the last few years, Lance alone seems like an encouraging bit of depth after his play-extending ability and lack of turnovers this preseason. 

The Chargers traded for Heinicke right before the season last year, so the Chargers aren’t strangers to making a show of this. The veteran passer’s recent absence from practice, if nothing else, keeps the entertainment going and other teams guessing. 

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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