Takeaways from Chargers’ preseason win over the Texans: QB2 battle is on

The Los Angeles Chargers opened their preseason with a 27-7 victory at the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

Here are my takeaways.

1. Trey Lance had an opportunity to slam the door on a backup quarterback competition. He did not seize that opportunity.

Lance started the game for the Chargers and certainly had some bright moments, especially in the early stages. He executed a number of the timing throws that are staples in coordinator Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme. He looked comfortable in McDaniel’s diverse play-action looks. He created in off-script situations as a runner and passer.

The issue: He did not protect the ball. Lance threw a dreadful pick at the end of the second half that took points off the board. He tried to connect with rookie receiver Brenen Thompson on an in-breaker. Lance did not see Texans safety Kamari Ramsey lurking to the inside. This was questionable vision from Lance, and it came at an inexcusable point of the game, when the Chargers were well within kicker Cameron Dicker’s field goal range.

Ramsey also almost picked off Lance earlier in the second quarter. The Chargers were backed up in their own end. Lance attempted to rip an out route to the left sideline. Ramsey jumped it and should have intercepted the pass. Although it shows up in the box score as an incompletion, it was another bad decision and dangerous throw from Lance.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week he wanted to give a half each to Lance and DJ Uiagalelei. Lance started the second half after his first half ended with the interception. He played one series, leading the Chargers on a field goal drive.

The Chargers built a convincing lead in the second half. Uiagalelei did not receive nearly as many opportunities as Lance did in the passing game. Uiagalelei finished 6-for-9 passing for 120 yards, one touchdown and, importantly, no turnovers. He guided the Chargers to an easy win, partly thanks to an impressive second-half performance from the defense. Uiagalelei showed off his ability to throw on the run on multiple occasions, including a bootleg touchdown pass to rookie receiver Devonte Ross.

Lance backed up Justin Herbert in 2025, but Uiagalelei is pushing him for that role this season. This is officially a real competition.

2. Second-year running back Amar Johnson was the star of the game for the Chargers. He finished with 85 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns. Johnson set up the Chargers’ third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter with a 55-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline. That throw came from Uiagalelei.

Johnson spent last season on the Chargers’ practice squad. He saw action in two games while the Chargers were dealing with a slew of injuries at running back.

Johnson will have a tough time earning a spot on the 53-man roster, with Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal firmly entrenched on the depth chart, but there are three running backs fighting for 2026 practice squad spots among Johnson, Jaret Patterson and rookie Greg Desrosiers.

Johnson is leading that group after this performance. Desrosiers showed some explosion as a runner Thursday night, and he made a special teams tackle on punt coverage. Patterson averaged 5.0 yards per carry on five carries.

3. New defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary had a tremendous showing in his first NFL game as a play caller. The Chargers gave up some yardage on the ground, but their pass defense was excellent against a pretty established backup in Davis Mills. The Texans totaled just 105 passing yards. They averaged 4.8 yards per attempt.

Sound familiar? It should. This was the DNA of Jesse Minter’s Chargers defenses. Playing with fewer bodies in the box leads to some disadvantageous looks in run defense, but it allows the defense to play suffocating coverage. O’Leary’s unit executed the vision effectively in Houston.

This defense will not be exactly the same, however. We wondered through the offseason what dials O’Leary might twist one way or the other to put his own stamp on the scheme. We got an initial answer Thursday night: O’Leary turned up the heat with his blitzes.

The Chargers did not blitz frequently under Minter. Last season, they ranked 29th in blitz rate at 11.7 percent, according to TruMedia. Against the Texans, O’Leary blitzed on six of 28 defensive snaps in the first half, or over 20 percent. He blitzed less in the second half as the Chargers built their big lead, but even then, O’Leary produced one of the turning points of the game when he brought defensive back Myles Purchase on a blitz that resulted in a lost fumble from Mills.

Linebacker Lander Barton recovered. The Chargers scored five plays later to put the game away.

A more aggressive blitzing approach could be one of the key elements that differentiates O’Leary from Minter.

Myles Purchase delivered one of the game-altering plays when he came on a blitz to force a fumble. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)

4. Rookie offensive lineman Jake Slaughter started Thursday’s game at center. He shifted to left guard for the start of the second quarter, when the Chargers made substitutions along the front. Slaughter stayed at left guard into the second half.

Slaughter’s move to left guard coincided with the best stretch from the Chargers offensive line in the game. Travis Burke was a left tackle, Jacob Spomer was at center, Trevor Penning was at right guard, and Branson Taylor was a right tackle. Taylor started the game at left guard.

The Chargers drove 67 yards on eight plays for a touchdown. They went the final 39 yards of the drive on six straight runs. The offensive line was creating consistent movement.

Overall, Slaughter looked comfortable at left guard. We’ll need to dig into the film for a more comprehensive look at his performance.

Of note, Penning played only at right guard in this game, further evidence he has fallen out of the starting left guard battle. Kayode Awosika started the game at right guard and played there for the first two series.

5. The Chargers have five interior defensive linemen who are locks to make the 53-man: Teair Tart, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jamaree Caldwell, Justin Eboigbe and rookie Nick Barrett. Fitting a sixth into the roster will be difficult. But TeRah Edwards, who spent last season on the Chargers practice squad, is making a case.

Edwards blew up a fourth-down sneak from Texans quarterback Graham Mertz late in the second quarter for one of two turnovers on downs for the Chargers. Edwards led all defensive linemen with four tackles in run defense.

6. An important attribute to look for in young cornerbacks is how they respond to down moments. Failure is inevitable at the position. Resolve is essential to be successful at this level. Rookie cornerback Avery Smith passed that test Thursday night.

Smith got beat in a one-on-one situation for the game’s opening touchdown. On the next series, Smith came back with a third-down pass breakup. In the fourth quarter, Smith shot through a gap and stuffed a fourth-down run for a turnover on downs. Smith played the best of the young corners fighting for that fifth corner spot on the depth chart behind Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still and Deane Leonard.