Report: Los Angeles Chargers re-signing QB DJ Uiagalelei to practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers are re-signing rookie quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to the practice squad, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. He will be the No. 3 QB on the roster.

Uiagalelei oirginally signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent after this year’s NFL Draft in April. After Los Angeles’ final preseason game this month, they released the former Florida State QB to cut the roster the 53 players. The Chargers currently have Justin Herbert and Trey Lance as their QBs on the active roster.

DJ Uiagalelei began his college football career at Clemson in 2020. He was with the school for three seasons before transferring to Oregon State in 2023. Uiagalelei spent one season with the Beavers before heading to Florida State for the 2024 season. He played in five games last year before suffering a season-ending injury.

Uiagalelei played in 53 college football games and threw for 9,384 yards, 61 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. The 24-year-old also rushed for 1,124 yards and 21 touchdowns on 380 attempts.

More on DJ Uiagalelei’s collge career

Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit coming out of St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) in the Class of 2020, where he was tabbed the No. 12 overall ranked player in the country. He committed to Clemson, where he was expected to lead the program to more National Championships following the Deshaun Watson/Trevor Lawrence era. Uiagalelei was a starter at Clemson for two of his three seasons, and the team failed to reach the College Football Playoff when he was the starting QB.

The Chargers seem to beleive in Uiagalelei since they are bringing him back. During the preseason, Uiagalelei compeleted 19-of-35 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Ultimately, the Chargers don’t want to see Uiagalelei or Lance on the field this season because that would mean that something’s wrong with Herbert. Last year, Herbert finished ninth in MVP voting after throwing for 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 17 regular-season games. In Herbert’s NFL career, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021.