Quentin

Johnston

Lal, a former receivers coach in Seattle, has reportedly put the second-year wideout “through some of the same drills he used with DK Metcalf to help spur faster breaks in a route.” “He’s got a lot of juice. He almost bounds when he runs,” Lal said of Johnston. “Working on his body positioning is one of the biggest things that we’ve done. He’s really improved some of his stop-type of routes, like keeping his shoulders over his feet longer and not looking early. That’s a big jump he’s made so far.” Johnston blamed a lack of focus on his untimely dropped passes during his disastrous rookie season in LA, and pledged to work harder to eliminate mistakes on the field. Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said in May that the team expects Johnston to “launch” in 2024. The team is expected to use Johnston in more varied ways after he lined up out wide on 90 percent of his routes in 2023.

To be fair, Johnston doesn’t have anywhere to go but up at this point. The 2023 first-round pick took a back seat to several receivers last season and wound up catching 38 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie campaign. the 6-foot-4 speedster was targeted on just 13.3 percent of his routes, which ranked 50th amongst 60 receivers (min. 400 routes run). With Keenan Allen in Chicago and Mike Williams in New York, Johnston has a chance to open the season as the Chargers’ WR1. A step forward would be great for the Chargers and fantasy managers, who are looking for far more production in 2024 than we saw in 2023.

Adding more fuel to the fire of an obvious shift away from the passing game in LA, Ghim says that Harbaugh wants “an offense whose stars are its offensive line.” He also pulled quotes from Chargers run game coordinator and tight ends coach Andy Bischoff echoing this balanced approach sentiment. Actions speak louder than words and the Chargers’ transaction wire is screaming about a run-oriented style as well. This offseason saw them cut Mike Williams and trade Keenan Allen for pennies on the dollar. They have also brought in running back Gus Edwards and fullback Ben Mason from Baltimore, where Jim’s brother John Harbaugh has donned the headset for over a decade. The Chargers will likely add some receiving talent to their roster via the draft, but all signs point toward a bland, low-volume attack in 2024.

Johnston ends a disastrous rookie season by being out-targeted by journeyman practice squad WR Alex Erickson for the second straight game. LA’s first-round pick in 2023, Johnston had a few memorable drops in the Chargers’ lost season. When the team needed Johnston to step up as a No. 2 receiver behind Keenan Allen after Mike Williams’ season-ending knee injury, he did anything but. With poor play and questionable effort, it’s difficult to see a path for Johnston to become a reliable part of the LA offense in 2024. The Chargers could be forced to spend another high draft pick on a wideout to make up for their swing and miss on Johnston, who finishes the year with 36 catches, 426 yards, and two touchdowns.

Playing alongside a talented list of skill position players that included names like Alex Erickson, Keelan Doss, and Stone Smartt, Johnston managed just six targets through irreparable mediocrity. The 2023 first-round wide receiver heads into Week 18 with just 33 receptions on a robust 617 offensive snaps.

Even in games where he does some good things, Johnston seems to always make simple mistakes. He was lined up off the line of scrimmage on a crucial reverse that brought the Chargers inside the Bills’ five-yard line but he never checked with the official and seemed to ignore a blatant hand gesturing from the official telling him to move up onto the line of scrimmage. Earlier in the game, he also got behind the coverage but slowed up on his route and a potential touchdown pass from Easton Stick hits off his fingertips. That’s also not the first time Johnston has missed a big play this year because he eases up on his routes. It’s a trend he’s going to need to stop to help his real team and fantasy managers.

The first-round pick’s second career score was a six-yarder with 2:38 remaining to cut the Chargers’ deficit to ... 63-21. That would be the final score in one of the most humiliating games in Bolts franchise history. With Josh Palmer active for the first time since Week 8, Johnston found himself out-targeted and out-produced by his returning teammate. Not exactly the good stuff. With Easton Stick under center, Johnston will be a zero-floor WR5 for Week 16 against the Bills.

Fantasy managers shouldn’t read too much into this. Johnston was on track for another dud outing before Easton Stick dropped a nicely thrown pass for 57 yards into his lap late in the fourth quarter. On the following play, Johnston would secure a 22-yard catch to salvage an otherwise unimpressive day. With Stick now set to start for the foreseeable future, Johnston can be left off the fantasy radar.

Palmer is on injured reserve. The Chargers opened his practice window earlier this week, giving them 21 days to officially activate him. Brandon Staley was previously non-committal on Palmer’s ability to return at any point this season after he suffered the knee injury. Palmer is making progress, but he could still be held out another week or two as a precaution. For now, Jalen Guyton will serve as Justin Herbert’s WR2.

The catches tied Johnston’s season-high while the targets were a new high-water mark, but all anyone will remember was Johnston’s absolutely brutal 3rd-and-12 red zone drop in the third quarter. The first-round rookie is simply allergic to making big plays and is contributing far too many game-changing mistakes. He won’t be much of a WR4 for Week 14 against the Broncos.