The LA Chargers are on the precipice of kickstarting the 2025 season in Brazil against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jim Harbaugh's squad is looking to repeat what the Philadelphia Eagles did last season, winning in Brazil in Week 1 before going on to win the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles will certainly take some lessons from Philadelphia's playbook from February's Super Bowl win. However, every season is different, and the Chargers can't simply copy and paste what the Eagles did to beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Plus, there are unexpected variables that are hard to predict, given that neither team has played a regular-season game yet in 2025. However, some variables can be predicted, and one won't be very popular with Chargers fans.
Chargers fans have latched onto rookie receivers Tre' Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the preseason, with many expecting the two rookies to both be impact players in 2025. The reality, though, is not what fans want to hear.
Chargers fans have to prepare for one promising rookie WR to be inactive vs. Chiefs
We're getting ahead of the headlines now. The Chargers will naturally make one of the rookie wideouts inactive in Week 1 and it is going to initially turn heads. That is why we are here to explain why that will happen, and why it's okay in the long run.
The Chargers have six wide receivers on the 53-man roster. With active rosters limited to 46 players, wide receiver typically becomes a position for healthy scratches. With six wideouts, that decision becomes even easier.
Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston are obvious locks to be active. It might be unpopular with Johnston, but the Chargers are going to give him chances early in the season. It may not be what fans want, but the Bolts telegraphed this throughout training camp and the preseason.
Derius Davis is also a lock to make the roster because he is the team's primary returner. That leaves one roster spot for Harris and Lambert-Smith, meaning someone is going to end up disappointed.
Harris practiced in a limited capacity last week but returned for a full practice on Thursday. As long as he continues tracking in the right direction, he should be good to play against the Chiefs.
This leaves Lambert-Smith as the odd man out, which naturally will result in him being a healthy scratch in Week 1. This will inevitably be a very unpopular decision with Lambert-Smith emerging as the biggest fan favorite from the preseason.
Is it the right decision to make Lambert-Smith an active scratch while Johnston gets a prominent role on offense? Maybe not. But the Chargers have proven they are going to stick with Johnston, as least to start the season.
Popular or not, that's the reality and Chargers fans need to prepare for it.