Although the Kansas City Chiefs were last seen on the field advancing to 4-0 with a Week 4 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders, the win proved costly at the wide receiver position.
Speedster Tyquan Thornton dislocated his ankle making a spectacular play late in the game and may be lost for the season. The Chiefs’ top wideout Rashee Rice left the game with a hamstring injury. Although there is no sign Rice’s ailment is a long-term concern, he did not practice this week coming out of the Week 5 bye.
On Friday,
Rice was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. As expected, the Chiefs looked to their practice squad for reinforcements.
Per Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, Kansas City has elevated practice squad wide receivers Justin Watson and Andrew Armstrong for Sunday’s game. As elevated players, they will automatically revert to the practice squad after the game.
Watson played for the Chiefs from 2022-25, catching 119 passes for 1064 yards and seven touchdowns over the three seasons. He signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans in 2025 but did not make the team coming out of this year’s training camp.
Injuries limited Watson to only three games last season. In the wake of Thornton’s injury, he signed with Kansas City’s practice squad on Monday.
Armstrong entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 2025, and he then signed a Reserve/Future contract with the Chiefs in January. He made a case to make Kansas City’s roster through training camp in the preseason, but Armstrong ultimately fell victim to numbers at the position. After being waived during final cutdowns, Armstrong immediately re-signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad.
Assuming he is active for the contest, Sunday will mark Armstrong’s NFL debut.
With over 20 players listed on the week’s injury reports, the Chargers unsurprisingly made a slew of Saturday roster moves before the contest. Los Angeles elevated cornerback Isas Wexter and offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill from their practice squad. Linebacker Caleb Murphy was signed from the practice squad to take the place of fullback Alex Ingold, who was placed on their Reserve/Injured list earlier this week.
Los Angeles also activated second-year wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith from the Reserve/Injured list on Saturday. To make room for Lambert-Smith’s return, former Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released.
