The biggest question for the Los Angeles Chargers offseason was at wide receiver. At the top of that question was Quentin Johnston, largely due to his high draft stock (21st overall pick) and terrible rookie year.
Johnston saw his first action of 2024 last weekend going against the Los Angeles Rams. Of his 39 snaps, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he “acquitted himself [sic] good.”
Quentin Johnston ‘Acquitted Himself Good’
Johnston caught one of two targets and drew an illegal contact penalty on a 3rd and 19 that resulted in a much-needed first down and kept the drive alive. It turned out to be one of the best drives of the Chargers preseason.
His one catch was also an impressive 19-yard deep pass along the left-hand boundary. His completion, which he caught but was out of bounds was perhaps even more impressive. He lept, rotated in the air and his hands did the rest. The last part has been a struggle for Johnston but on this occasion he held on to the ball.
Johnston gives wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal credit for his improvement.
“With his coaching and me just dialing in,” Johnston told Daniel Popper of The Athletic, “I feel like my confidence has gone way up.”
When asked about Johnston after the game, Harbaugh in his post-game press conference said;
“I’ve seen good steady improvement. When he’s really playing his technique, doing his job, it looks the way it should. Not only did he draw the illegal contact, but he was open by good amount of steps. Nice to see him go up make make the catch on the sideline and darn near camedown with the other one. I thought he showed well. Acquitted himself good.”
