Battle to back up Herbert heats up

With the clock inching closer to Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline, Chargers rookies, backups and long shots have one final opportunity to impress the front office.

- BY ANTHONY DE LEON

TAYLOR HEINICKE, left, and Trey Lance are battling to serve as quarterback Justin Herbert's understudy.

Ahead of Saturday's preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, the Chargers’ coaching staff made it clear that bubble players must make their case.

“You're not playing like your life depends on it, but [like] your lifestyle depends on it,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “There’s elite competition for those spots — not only the 53, but also the 17 [practice squad] spots.”

Here are five things to Trey Lance vs. Taylor Heinicke Who will back up starting quarterback Justin Herbert? Heading into training camp, Taylor Heinicke appeared to be a shoo-in for the role, even with the addition of Trey Lance, who was joining his third team in four years.

But through three preseason games, Lance has outperformed Heinicke. He has completed 27 of 49 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing for 88 yards and a score.

Heinicke has completed seven of 16 passes for 64 yards without a touchdown.

The Chargers could carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, as they did last season, after trading for Heinicke on cutdown day.

Both are expected to play only a series or two.