Quentin Johnston’s time with the Chargers has reached the point where the conversation is no longer about upside. It’s about whether Los Angeles has seen enough to move on.
The 2023 first-round pick entered the league with the traits that pop on draft night: size, speed and the kind of yards-after-catch ability teams dream on. What he didn’t bring, at least not consistently, was the part that matters most for a receiver - catching the football.
That issue showed up immediately. Johnston’s rookie year was defined by drops, and the one that still hangs over him came against the Green Bay Packers, when a third-down ball slipped away on what could have been a game-winning touchdown.
After that season, the best-case view for him was pretty modest: maybe he could become a reliable No. 2.
By year two, there was real movement in the right direction. Johnston became a Jim Harbaugh favorite and put together a much better statistical season, jumping from 431 receiving yards to 711 while adding eight touchdowns in 2024.
The drops were fewer, but they never fully disappeared. The one that drew the most attention came on Monday Night Primetime against the Baltimore Ravens, early in the fourth quarter with the Chargers trailing 23-16 and facing third-and-6.
In 2025, the production ticked up again. Johnston posted 735 yards and another eight touchdowns in one fewer game, giving him another season that looked like growth on paper. Even so, the drops remained part of the story, and his first-round status still didn’t match the level of impact the Chargers wanted.
Los Angeles then picked up his fifth-year option, keeping him on the roster through the 2027 season. That decision drew plenty of scrutiny, though it also made sense to plenty of observers given the year-to-year improvement and the chance to work under offensive "mastermind" Mike McDaniel.
But the early returns this season have been rough. The Chargers are 0-3 after losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills, and Johnston has managed just 64 yards on six catches with two drops. His vertical presence has vanished, his yards-after-catch game hasn’t shown up under McDaniel, and the route-running gains haven’t translated.
The latest low point came in the Week 3 loss to Buffalo. On a crucial third-and-nine, Justin Herbert put a perfect throw on an out route to Johnston, and Johnston let it hit his hands and fall incomplete. He was visibly unhappy on the sideline afterward.
After the game, Johnston sat on the bench with his head down, and Tre’ Harris helped him up and appeared to be trying to lift his spirits as they headed to midfield to shake hands with the Bills. Johnston also had a drop late in the game on third down.
I’ve been a Johnston believer and defender, with the understanding that he was never going to live up to the first-round billing attached to him. The hope was that he could settle in as a useful role player and help this offense.
But he’s had enough chances in Los Angeles. At this point, the Chargers need to look for another answer.
That’s especially true with the way they’ve invested at receiver elsewhere. Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris are both second-round picks who are already contributing, and with the Chargers sitting at 0-3, the team could lean all the way into the future and start looking toward the 2027 receiver class, where names like Jeremiah Smith, Charlie Becker and Cam Coleman are being discussed as real NFL weapons.
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