The Chargers spent the offseason building around Justin Herbert, and that work has put Quentin Johnston squarely in the spotlight.
Los Angeles added Tyler Biadasz, drafted Jake Slaughter, brought in Dalvin Tomlinson, extended Derwin James Jr. and landed David Njoku. The team also used a first-round pick on Akheem Mesidor and took speedy receiver Brenen Thompson in the fourth. Every move was aimed at giving Herbert more help and pushing the roster closer to another postseason run.
That kind of roster overhaul raises the bar for everybody, but no Charger enters 2026 with more on the line than Johnston. The former first-round pick has already lived through the harsh side of NFL expectations. His rookie season drew criticism fast, but he answered by improving over the next two years instead of folding under it.
The production has started to show up. Johnston scored eight touchdowns in both 2024 and 2025, and last season he finished with 51 catches for 735 yards.
Those are the numbers of a player moving in the right direction. They’re also the reason the pressure hasn’t gone away.
The Chargers did not draft Johnston just to be a useful secondary option. They saw a bigger weapon, one capable of changing games.
The organization backed that belief by exercising his fifth-year option, a clear sign it still thinks he can become a foundation piece on offense. Now he has to make that faith look smart.
The fit should be there. Mike McDaniel’s offense is built to create space, using motion, formation variety and creative alignments to manufacture clean releases and favorable matchups. That lines up neatly with Johnston’s best traits.
At TCU, Johnston was dangerous after the catch. His size, burst and feel in the open field turned routine throws into chunk plays, and defenders had trouble finishing the job once he got rolling.
In the NFL, though, those chances have not always come easily. He has spent plenty of time on the perimeter and has often been asked to win in more conventional ways.
This season should look different. Johnston is expected to see work on crossing routes, quick screens, motion concepts and layered route combinations that put the ball in his hands with space to operate. If he can’t produce in that setup, the questions about what he ultimately is as a pro will get louder.
There’s also a bigger business decision waiting beyond 2026. The fifth-year option gave the Chargers more time, but it also sharpened the stakes.
If Johnston turns into the steady playmaker they imagined, a long-term extension becomes a much easier conversation. If he doesn’t, the front office will have to start looking at other options.
The Chargers have done their part to set the table. They’ve improved the line, added talent at the skill spots and given Herbert a roster built to support a serious run. Johnston now has the chance to cash in on all of it.
For a player who has already shown flashes, this is the year that decides whether those flashes were the start of something real or just the best moments of a short stay in Los Angeles.
In Other News...
How Expensive The Chargers Core Just Became In Trade Talks
Every offseason trade exercise tends to make a roster look expensive in theory, but ESPNs Bill Barnwell went a step further with the Chargers, assigning real market value to some of the most important pieces of their core. Justin Herbert sits near the top of Barnwells quarterback tier, and the exercise underscores just how rare it would be for any team to even start a conversation on him. Around him, the Chargers young talent also stands out, with Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, Tuli Tuipulotu and Akheem Mesidor all landing in the kind of valuation range that says the front office has built around players other teams would covet.
What makes the list interesting for Los Angeles is how many names hover just outside the top cutoff, including Omarion Hampton and Ladd McConkey, while Derwin James is still treated as an elite safety without crossing into the same trade tier. Barnwells rankings do not suggest the Chargers are shopping anyone, but they do show how much of this roster has become the sort of asset other teams would have to pay dearly to pry away. For a team trying to keep its competitive window open, that kind of depth is the real luxury, even if it also makes every hypothetical deal feel more complicated than it looks. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Draft What-If Just Took A Painful New Turn
A little more than a year after the draft, Colston Loveland has become one of the Bears most productive young pass catchers, but his latest podcast appearance offered a fresh reminder of how close his NFL path came to looking different. Loveland said he expected the Chargers to take him in 2025 after meeting only with Los Angeles during the pre-draft process, which makes the teams decision to go in another direction feel even more consequential in hindsight.
Instead, Chicago grabbed Loveland at No. 10 overall, and the Chargers answered at No. 22 by selecting Omarion Hampton. Hamptons rookie year was interrupted by injury, but he is still positioned to be the feature back in 2026, leaving the Chargers with a backfield plan that may finally get its real test next season. What makes the whole thing sting a little more for Los Angeles is how quickly Loveland has validated the buzz that surrounded him before the draft. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Suddenly Have A Young Back Caught In A Real Roster Squeeze
The Chargers backfield is getting crowded fast as they head toward the 2026 season, and that has put Kimani Vidal in an awkward spot. Omarion Hampton is expected to take on a larger role, and the addition of free agent Keaton Mitchell gives Los Angeles another dynamic option, leaving a third-year back who has already shown promise with less room to work.
Vidals previous production gave the Chargers a reason to believe in him, but depth-chart math can change quickly in the NFL. With Hampton moving up and Mitchell bringing a different skill set to the mix, Vidal could find himself fighting for a reduced workload unless the team finds a way to keep all of its backs involved. [Read more 🡒]