Wide receiver was one of the biggest needs for the LA Chargers heading into the offseason and the team certainly addressed it. While the Bolts did not make a huge splash, the team added three new wide receivers to a room with limited spots.
As a result, there is a massive battle going on for the final roster spot at the wide receiver position. There are five players in total vying for one spot and the winner will come down to who impresses the most in the preseason and in training camp.
Who are those five wideouts you may ask? Let's dive into the candidates in order of likelihood.
The five WRs battling for the final spot on the Chargers depth chart:
KeAndre Lambert-Smith
Believe it or not, 2025 draft pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith is in a roster battle and is not guaranteed to make the 53-man roster after being drafted. The first five spots are completely locked up in the Chargers' WR room and Lambert-Smith is not one of them.
The Chargers could theoretically carry seven wideouts like they did coming out of training camp last year but it is rare. That will only happen if Lambert-Smith thrives and there is another wideout who cannot be denied.
Because of his status as a recent draft pick, Lambert-Smith has a leg up over his competition. However, his spot on the Chargers still has to be earned.
Jalen Reagor
It's really a toss-up on who has the next-best odds after Lambert-Smith to make the roster and I would take these rankings with a grain of salt. It's really just going to come down to who plays the best during the preseason as all these wideouts are so close together.
Reagor may have a slight advantage over his counterparts because of his impact on special teams. Reagor's potential as a backup return man is what got him re-signed in the first place, and it could land him a spot on the Chargers' roster.
Brenden Rice
Brenden Rice never got a chance to showcase his skills in his rookie season and now the player who many thought was a draft steal is on the outside looking in. What makes it even worse for Rice is the fact that every other wideout on this list was specifically mentioned by Greg Roman in an interview except him.
It's going to be an uphill battle for Rice, who has not proven a thing in the NFL. It doesn't matter that he was projected to be taken earlier and fell to the seventh round. Projections don't get you playing time in the NFL.
Dez Fitzpatrick
Dez Fitzpatrick is one of several former Tennessee Titans that Joe Hortiz has brought to the Chargers since he got the job last offseason. Fitzpatrick was a fourth-round pick for the Titans who didn't even make the 53-man roster in his rookie season. He bounced up and down from the practice squad with both the Titans and Steelers before joining the Chargers.
The Chargers signed Fitzpatrick to the practice squad in September, released him in early December, and then re-signed him right back to the practice squad. He needs to put together a tremendous showing in camp and the preseason to have a chance.
Jaylen Johnson
Jaylen Johnson signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent last year and stuck around on the practice squad throughout 2024. Johnson did get one elevation during the season in which he played a grand total of four snaps (three of which were on special teams).
Johnson doesn't have the draft equity that others in this conversation have, but he still has just as good of a chance as anyone to secure the roster spot. It's going to take a spectacular preseason, but it is possible.