Everybody is excited to have NFL football back on their TV screens when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Detroit Lions in the annual Hall of Fame Game, but let's face it...that's typically some of the worst and most uninteresting football of the year.
Yes, it's a great way to get back into the swing. It will be fun to see the production and hear the pads popping, but the Hall of Fame Game barely ever includes even the intriguing draft picks on the teams playing in the game.
This year, however, is a different story.
The Chargers are trotting out former 3rd overall pick Trey Lance as their starting quarterback for the game against the Lions, and him being showcased should make for some must-see TV.
Trey Lance being showcased in last big chance with Chargers
It's hard to believe that it's only been four years since Lance was a highly anticipated rookie with the San Francisco 49ers. It feels like that was a lifetime ago. The Niners have already given a big-money contract to a different quarterback and moved on rather seamlessly from that draft blunder.
Lance has spent multiple years with two teams already, coming to the Chargers this offseason after spending two years in Dallas with the Cowboys.
The addition of Lance behind quarterback Justin Herbert and Taylor Heinicke is a fascinating one. The Chargers have every reason to showcase Lance, whether he can develop for them into a viable QB2 or gadget option, or possibly even become trade bait to a quarterback-needy team before the start of the season.
It was surprising to see Lance settle for a QB3 gig in NFL free agency, but it's possible that's all he was being offered. The chance he's now getting with the Los Angeles Chargers cannot be overstated in its importance, and he might not get a better opportunity to showcase himself than in the Hall of Fame Game.
When Lance came out of North Dakota State, it was almost like the perfect storm of factors going against him that led to things not working out with the 49ers. The pandemic cost him any shot of time on task in 2020 at North Dakota State. He was drafted based on pure talent, and we saw that talent on display early with the 49ers before he suffered a season-ending injury in his rookie year.
The 49ers not only ran out of time to be patient with Lance, but they discovered a better alternative while he was on the mend.
Nothing lined up right despite an elite situation he was walking into with the 49ers. And frankly, his development has been spotty ever since.
But we'll see what the Chargers have done with him in a short time. How well does he execute the simple stuff out there? Will we see his athleticism on display as a runner?
For a player as young as Lance -- who is still just 25 years old -- the time to hit the ground running is now.