KeAndre Lambert-Smith is walking into training camp with a real fight on his hands.
The Chargers drafted him in 2025 because the upside was easy to see: vertical speed, field-stretching juice and the kind of athletic profile that could eventually help Justin Herbert. But one year later, his path to a roster spot looks a lot less comfortable than it did on draft day.
That’s mostly because Los Angeles has packed its wide receiver room with options.
Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris look like the top three heading into camp. McConkey is Herbert’s most dependable target, Johnston is coming off another productive season and Harris is expected to take on a bigger role in Mike McDaniel’s system.
The real squeeze starts after that.
Derius Davis still brings value as one of the league’s better return specialists, and the Chargers used a fourth-round pick on Brenen Thompson, whose elite speed fits neatly into McDaniel’s offense. Then there are JaQuae Jackson, Luke Grimm and Dalevon Campbell, all trying to force their way onto the roster.
That puts Lambert-Smith in a precarious spot.
His rookie year was quiet, with just five catches for 51 yards and one touchdown while working in a limited offensive role. Those numbers don’t tell the entire story, but they also don’t give him much cushion heading into Year 2.
There is a fit here, though. Lambert-Smith has the kind of speed and downfield threat ability McDaniel tends to value.
He can threaten defenses vertically, create explosive plays after the catch and make safeties pay attention to the deep ball. That part of his game lines up with what the Chargers want.
The issue is that he’s not alone in that lane.
Thompson has blazing speed too, while Davis already has a defined special teams job. If Lambert-Smith doesn’t clearly separate himself on offense, it gets hard to justify keeping him over players who either offer similar traits or bring more value elsewhere.
That makes camp the defining stretch.
The Chargers may only carry five or six wide receivers on the initial 53-man roster, so every rep and every preseason snap will matter. If Lambert-Smith shows the big-play ability that made him an intriguing draft pick, he can still stick. If he doesn’t produce consistently, the numbers may simply squeeze him out.
Even then, a release wouldn’t necessarily end the story. The Chargers could try to bring him back on the practice squad if he clears waivers, and his age, athletic profile and upside would still make him a worthwhile development piece.
For Lambert-Smith, this is one of the biggest stretches of his young career. The talent is there. Now he has to prove it’s enough.
In Other News...
Chargers Camp Battles Are Turning Up Heat On Two Critical Spots
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The most interesting part is how many jobs still have some real movement left in them. A few players appear to have a path to the roster, but there are also several bubble cases and possible cut-or-trade candidates as the Chargers try to balance immediate depth with long-term upside. In a camp like this, the next few practices can matter just as much as the first few weeks, especially when the depth chart is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers May Have Found More O-Line Help For Justin Herbert
The Chargers kept building around Justin Herbert in the draft by adding another offensive lineman, taking Alex Harkey in the sixth round to bolster a unit they have already tried to reinforce through free agency and earlier draft moves. Harkey brings the kind of profile teams look for in the later rounds: size, versatility and enough physical upside to develop into useful depth after stops at Texas State, Colorado and Oregon.
For Los Angeles, the appeal is obvious after the recent injury issues up front. Harkey can help at guard or tackle, which gives the Chargers some flexibility as they try to protect Herbert and survive the grind of a long season, but he still has work to do before he becomes more than a developmental piece in a crowded room. [Read more 🡒]