There’s football on Thursday night! Honest to God, actual, real football — well, kind of. It’s the Hall of Fame Game, which officially kicks off the NFL Preseason in an affair everyone will be hyped to see, then quickly remember that stars won’t see the field at all in this game.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions face off on Thursday night, and while we’re not going to see Justin Herbert and Jared Goff slinging the ball, there are some really fascinating players to watch in this game.
Trey Lance, QB, Chargers
Remember Trey Lance, yeah Trey Lance. Like, former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. Well, he’s on the Chargers now backing up Herbert in what feels a lot like a reclamation project so the team can potentially showcase him on the trade market, or get a compensatory pick at the very least.
It’s easy to forget that Lance is only 25-years-old. That makes him the same age as Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough. Never say never when it comes to an NFL comeback, see Geno Smith. By all accounts Lance has been shining in Chargers’ camp and Harbaugh has been gushing about his backup QB. We’ve never really see him in a structure or situation where he can shine, but with the Chargers he’s not being asked to do too much, and is in a better position to learn.
Even if the HoF game is a glorified scrimmage, it’s going to be fascinating to see how Lance plays and get a sense of whether he could write a new chapter in his NFL journey.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers
All eyes will be on Omarion Hampton with the Lions already announcing they won’t be playing their 1st or 2nd round picks on Thursday night (DT Tyleik Williams and OG Tate Rutledge respectively). The Chargers’ first round pick, Hampton is in a great position to make an impact in his rookie season.
This will be a backfield by committee led by Najee Harris, who the Chargers signed in free agency — but Hampton is a different style runner and more of a dual-threat RB than Harris is. It’ll be interesting to see how the Chargers use Hampton, where he lines up, and how he figures to be a part of the passing game.
To this end it will be a great watch especially for fantasy football players, who could be looking for a late-round rookie to shake up the back end of their roster.
Hendon Hooker, QB, Lions
It wasn’t long ago that Hooker was seen as the heir apparent at QB in Detroit, and while Goff ascending into a high-tier QB has thrown water on that notion, it’ll still be interesting to see him get more snaps under center.
At this point Hooker is competing with Kyle Allen to see who can win the job as Goff’s backup. They’ll trade first team reps on Thursday night, and it this could be the first step in determining what his NFL future will be.
Hooker is a fascinating QB to watch. He put up absolutely ludicrous numbers at Tennessee with 3,135 yards, 27 TDs and 2 INTs his senior year — but there were always questions whether that was a product of his ability, or a gimmicky Vols veer-and-shoot offense.
Everyone on the Chargers’ second team defense
The thing that’s weird about Los Angeles is that they don’t have much standout superstar talent on defense, but my goodness is this team deep on paper. At almost every position there’s not a lot of dropoff between the first and second team talent, which is a credit to the contingency plans the organization has built, knowing its key players are all getting older on that side of the ball.
It’s one of the factors that I think could propel the Chargers to a big season in 2025. When they get banged up (and every team does) they have the ability to keep the ship steady. If the Chargers can back up my bullishness on the defensive side of the ball then they’ll be in great shape.
Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Lions
Resisting all urges to make a joke about Elon Musk’s car company, I am fascinating to see TeSlaa in live action with the Lions starters resting.
This was a pick Detroit made that was earlier than most boards had him going. That said, if anyone’s earned the benefit of the doubt in drafting it’s the Lions. TeSlaa brings something to the offense the team hasn’t had: A young, big-bodied receiver. The team brought in Tim Patrick last year to be the big man in the slot, and obviously they liked what he added to the offense in 2024, so they looked for the future at that position.
TeSlaa boasts a 6’4, 213 pound frame and has excellent contested catch skills — which makes up for his lack of acceleration. It will be really interesting to see him get some live action snaps and see how he fits into Detroit’s WR room.
Tre Harris, WR, Chargers
Another WR to watch, the Chargers 2nd round pick was a signal that Harbaugh and Co. still believe weapons are important after they jettisoned Mike Williams and Keenan Allen in 2024. The hope for Los Angeles is that Harris can be a high-tier slot receiver, at the very least.
What makes Harris fascinating is considering the process the Chargers used. Last year they struck gold with Ladd McConkey, and it will be interesting to see if their new rookie receiver can show similar flashes.
If he can, watch out — because the Chargers offense might be very, very scary in 2025.
