Quentin Johnston making strides early in Chargers’ training camp after disappointing rookie season

AP Sports Writer

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Quentin Johnston continues to show improvement and has regained his confidence after a disappointing rookie season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Whether that translates into a starting spot will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch with the offense over the next four weeks of training camp.

Johnston is in competition with Joshua Palmer, DJ Chark and rookie Ladd McConkey for a starting spot. He has some ground to make up as most of his snaps have been with the second team.

“I would say (my comfort level) is significantly better. I’m coming off a full offseason and coming off a season where I can look back and have a feel of how I should react in certain situations,” Johnston said.

After being the 21st overall selection in last year’s draft, Johnston’s struggled as a rookie. He was tied for 13th among rookie receivers with 38 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns. Baltimore’s Zay Flowers and Minnesota’s Jordan Addison — who were immediately selected after Johnston —both had at least 70 receptions. Addison led rookie receivers with 10 touchdowns.

Johnston was known more for dropped passes at critical times last season, including one late in a Week 11 game at Green Bay that would have put the Chargers in range for a game-tying field goal.

During offseason drills and the first week of training camp, Johnston has looked like a different player with the new regime of coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman in charge.

Johnston has displayed some of the traits that made him a first-round pick — especially when it comes to catching balls in traffic.

“I just think he got a bad rap, looking at some of the clips coming out of training camp last year,” Harbaugh said. “It just seemed like, in somebody’s mind, he was a disappointment. He hadn’t been at all in my eyes. I see someone big, fast and getting stronger. His ability to catch the ball, I mean, he plucks it out of the air.”

Harbaugh is hoping that Johnston can be the same player for him that he saw at TCU in 2022, when Johnston beat Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl with six catches for 163 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Roman also noted that Johnston has looked smooth and quicker on route running. Johnston credited receivers coach Sanjay Lal with improving his stance at the start of a route and going through it for 20-30 minutes to make sure it was done correctly.

Chargers fans are hoping Johnston can make the same sizable improvement that Mike Williams did from his first to second season. Williams was the seventh overall pick in 2017 but played in only 10 games due to injuries and had only 11 receptions. The next year, he had 43 catches, including 10 touchdowns.

Williams was released during the offseason and Keenan Allen was traded to Chicago, putting more pressure on Johnston to emerge as one of the leaders in the receiver room.

“I wouldn’t call it a weight. I would call it another opportunity,” he said. “With Keenan and Mike being gone I’m fortunate to have had a year with those guys taking away a lot of stuff with what they did during practice and games.”

NOTES: Offensive tackle Rashaun Slater could be out a couple more days after suffering what appeared to be a calf injury during practice on Friday. Harbaugh, who isn’t getting into specifics with player’s on-field injuries or the severity of them, merely said that Slater was being held out due to “an abundance of caution.”

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