The 2025 NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, with the Chargers facing the Lions in the annual Hall of Fame Game — and while the starters won’t take the field, Los Angeles has given fans a compelling reason to tune in.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Tuesday that Trey Lance, the former No. 3 overall pick, will start at quarterback and play into the third quarter.
“I want to get Trey Lance game experience,” Harbaugh said, via The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez.
It’s a pivotal moment for Lance, who is now fighting to salvage a career that once began with franchise-quarterback expectations and is now rooted in backup-quarterback reality. And Harbaugh might be the perfect person to guide that transition.
A Rare Opportunity to Start Again
Lance, still just 25, is entering his first season with the Chargers after signing a one-year deal in April. He spent the last two seasons buried on the Cowboys’ depth chart, appearing in only four games (one start) last year and completing 25-of-41 passes for 266 yards and an interception.
The Hall of Fame Game won’t feature many familiar names — Harbaugh said “veteran traditional starters” like Justin Herbert and Quentin Johnston won’t play, and rookie receiver Ladd McConkey is also expected to sit due to a minor injury — but Lance’s start is a meaningful headline in a game that usually offers little more than a warm-up jog.
DJ Uiagalelei is expected to relieve Lance in the third quarter, while veteran Taylor Heinicke will dress but serve as the team’s emergency quarterback.
From Bust to Backup… to Breakout?
To understand the stakes for Lance, it’s worth revisiting how he got here. Drafted by the 49ers in 2021, the team spent three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up and select the North Dakota State star. He was just 20, had played only one game during the COVID-altered 2020 season, and entered the league as a high-upside, raw project.
But after only four career starts and a season-ending leg injury in 2022, the 49ers moved on. They found a far cheaper — and far more stable — solution in Brock Purdy, who now ranks among the NFL’s highest-paid players. Lance was ultimately shipped to Dallas, where he languished as a developmental third-stringer.
Now, Harbaugh has handed him the reins, if only for a few quarters in August. But don’t mistake the opportunity as meaningless.
Harbaugh’s Plan: Play to Strengths, Not System
One of the more fascinating angles of Lance’s reboot in Los Angeles is how different his role could look under Harbaugh compared to Kyle Shanahan’s system in San Francisco. The 49ers’ passing game has long been built on quick, high-risk throws over the middle that demand elite anticipation and accuracy — not necessarily arm strength or improvisation.
That’s never been Lance’s strong suit. What he does have is mobility, a big arm, and a history of taking care of the football. In his lone full college season at NDSU, he threw 28 touchdowns and just one interception. But those tools were rarely prioritized in Shanahan’s offense, which seemed to want Lance to conform rather than improvise.
In Los Angeles, Harbaugh is already taking a different approach. In training camp videos, Lance has been seen confidently attacking the sideline — throws that favor arm talent and decisiveness. It’s a sign that Harbaugh might be tailoring the system around the quarterback, rather than the other way around.
And that could be critical. Harbaugh’s reputation as a quarterback whisperer is well-earned. He revived Alex Smith’s career in San Francisco and maximized players like Jake Rudock and Wilton Speight at Michigan. He doesn’t need Lance to be a star — he just needs him to stop playing like someone trying to meet someone else’s expectations.
A Quarterback, and a Career, on the Line
It’s just one game. It’s barely the preseason. And it’s not likely to change the Chargers’ depth chart, where Justin Herbert remains the unquestioned starter.
But for Lance, Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game isn’t a footnote — it’s a first step. A chance to show he belongs. A chance to remind the league of the talent that once made him a top-three pick. A chance to thrive under a coach finally willing to meet him where he is.
And if Harbaugh can unlock the version of Lance that protected the ball, trusted his instincts, and played free — the version that’s been buried beneath doubt and expectation — then maybe this isn’t the end of Lance’s story. Maybe it’s just the beginning of the one he was always meant to write.
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