KeAndre Lambert-Smith hits injured reserve

A hamstring injury suffered in Week 18 kept the situational deep threat sidelined against the Patriots. He caught 5-of-12 targets for 51 yards and one touchdown in his rookie season. Lambert-Smith will get the chance to earn a spot on the game-day roster this offseason.

He didn’t practice all week. The rookie would enter next week with a questionable tag if the Chargers survive in New England.

Lambert-Smith is now on the wrong side of questionable, having missed the last two practices. The speedy rookie has not yet established himself as a reliable pass catcher, but he would be nice to have available on game day. The Chargers’ offense has been hit hard with injuries this season.

Lambert-Smith left the Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Broncos with an apparent hamstring injury and now starts out the week not practicing. The rookie 23-year-old is low on the pass-catching depth chart and finished the 2025 regular season with five receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown. Lambert-Smith’s absence on kick returns will have more of an impact if he cannot go in the Wild Card against the Patriots.

Chargers veteran slot WR Keenan Allen functioned as the offensive focal point this afternoon. Unfortunately, for Lance, Allen mostly ran quick-hitting routes that relied on the 33-year-old to pick up yards after the catch. Chargers rookie WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith is to blame for Lance’s interception, tipping a catchable pass into Broncos slot CB Ja’Quan McMillian’s hands for the pick-six. Lance did a great job evading Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto for much of the game, but Bonitto got the better of Lance late in the game by forcing a fumble with a well-aimed punch. Lance connected with WR Derius Davis for a short touchdown late in the game, but it was called back due to an illegal formation penalty. The 25-year-old backup heads back to the bench for the Chargers’ Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Patriots.

Shortly before halftime, Lambert-Smith picked up a first down after snagging a pass from QB Trey Lance via a slant route. He was tackled at the Broncos’ 12-yard line. After the play, Lambert-Smith could be seen grabbing at his left hamstring. He quickly met with trainers for an evaluation, and the team initially labeled him as questionable to return. He finishes his day having caught 2-of-5 targets for 24 yards and returned two kicks for 45 yards.

The lanky rookie speedster must continue biding his time. He likely would have been active if fellow rookie WR Tre’ Harris (jaw) had been sidelined today. The Chargers could get their star rookie running back, Omarion Hampton (ankle), back from injured reserve next week. He practiced in a limited capacity in Week 13. The Chargers face the Eagles in Week 14.

Lambert-Smith led the Chargers’ wide receiver corps with 30 snaps, and played 5-of-6 snaps on the first drive. A bounce-back showing next week would likely help him secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

The blazing-fast fifth-round rookie was facing second- and third-team defenders, but he was blowing by them. That’s what he’s reportedly been doing in the early days of Bolts camp, as well. There are snaps and routes for the taking in this receiver corps, and the Day 3 pick is at least putting himself in the mix. All that being said, there’s a long way to go between now and Week 1.

First up in Popper’s report was Quentin Johnston, whose ball-tracking “looked vastly improved.” However, he dropped a wide-open pass over the middle in Day 6 of camp on Wednesday and his confidence “seemed to have dissipated.” This is on par with what we have seen throughout Johnston’s career, though Popper believes the 23-year-old was better through the first five practices of camp. Jalen Reagor was reportedly running with the first-team offense before sitting out Wednesday with a hamstring issue. Rookies Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith capitalized on the increased opportunities as a result. Reagor running with the first-team offense is notable, though Harris looks to overtake him as he adjusts to the playbook as a rookie. Ultimately, Johnston is still slated to be one of the outside starters as the depth chart behind Ladd McConkey shapes up.