- Rookie wide receivers Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have formed a strong bond as new Los Angeles Chargers teammates.
- The Chargers’ receiving corps also includes veterans Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey, alongside second-year player Quentin Johnston.
- Los Angeles will face the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in their season opener in São Paulo, Brazil.
Rookie wide receivers Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have developed a college-like friendship on and off the field in their first season as Los Angeles Chargers teammates.
“Whenever training camp started we were sharing a hotel room together, and kind of just felt like college. Having that guy you would always go to lunch together, just doing things together. He’s been my guy since day one,” Harris said to USA TODAY Sports. “We constantly just been bouncing ideas off each other, just talking about everything that we go through and just keeping each other uplifted. That’s another thing that we’ve been doing, constantly pushing each other to get better each and every day.’
The feeling is mutual for Lambert-Smith.
“That’s my guy. We talk every day,” Lambert-Smith said of Harris. “I feel like we’re gonna continue to build that bond as well as the other guys in the room, the QBs and everybody. It’s definitely been great having him around and we’re gonna continue to grow together.”
The two are part of a receiving corps that features Keenan Allen, who returned to the Chargers this offseason, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
“I’m super glad to have a teammate like that,” Harris said of Lambert-Smith. “I can’t wait to see what the season has in store for us.”
What’s in store for Harris, Lambert-Smith and the Chargers first is the Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo, Brazil. The Chiefs have had a reign over the AFC West, winning the division for nine-straight years. Kansas City’s currently riding a seven-game winning streak against the Chargers. Los Angeles has been held under 20 points versus the Chiefs in their last four meetings.
The Chargers offense was subpar during Jim Harbaugh’s first season at the helm. The team ranked 20th in total offense, 17th in rushing and had the NFL’s 19th ranked passing attack. Furthermore, Justin Herbert averaged a career-low 227 passing yards per game.
Harbaugh and the Chargers responded by selecting four skill position players on offense in the 2025 NFL draft, including running back Omarion Hampton and Harris with their first two picks.
“For me, it meant a lot,” Harris said of the Chargers drafting him in the second round. “It really just proves how much a team wanted me, and that’s all the Chargers showed me, is how much they wanted me. All I really want to do is go out there and prove my worth to them, and that’s not just to the owners and to the GM, but also to my teammates. I want to show them that and to go out there and play at a high level. I also want to prove it to myself that I can play at this league. I could play at this level, and play with the guys in this league. That’s something I want to go out there and prove.”
Hampton is expected to start against Kansas City. Harris and Lambert-Smith both figure to have big roles in Year 1.
“They’ve made a bunch of plays. We’re asking them to do a lot. We’re asking those guys to fill in and play multiple positions and they’ve done a good job of picking up the offense,” Herbert said of the rookie receivers. “They just go out there and make plays and continue to get two feet inbounds and adapt to the NFL. It’s been really fun to see.”
Harris, Lambert-Smith and Hampton are three of the 21 new players on the Chargers active roster this season. The new-look Chargers are set to have an early measuring-stick game against Kansas City. Harbaugh’s 5-0 in season openers in his NFL head coaching career. The Chiefs have won seven in a row against Los Angeles. One streak is bound to end Friday night (unless there’s a tie).
But the Chiefs are going into the matchup as the favorite, and they are the front runner to win the division title again.
Kansas City’s built a winning tradition, winning three of the past six Super Bowls. The Chargers, a franchise that’s never won a Super Bowl, aspires to get there. And they acquired new pieces on offense to help their quest.
“The Super Bowl. We’re going for the Super Bowl,” Harbaugh said. “That’s our goal and we’re gonna do it or die trying.”