Chargers mailbag: Big training camp for Quentin Johnston? More moves on the way?

New York Times

3 days ago

Summer break is winding down, and training camp is swiftly approaching.
The Los Angeles Chargers' rookies will report to camp Saturday, while the veterans report on July 16. The opening practice of camp will be held July 17 at The Bolt, the team's practice facility in El Segundo, Calif. And with that, version 2.0 of Jim Harbaugh's Chargers will begin to crystallize in earnest.
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It is time to start setting the stage for what will be a fascinating and consequential six weeks. What better way to kick that off than with your questions?
You ask. I answer.
It's the mailbag.
Do you think the coaching staff will give Quentin Johnston too many chances to hold his starting spot? — @marti61590
I do not think the Chargers coaching staff will give Johnston too many chances. The 2023 first-round pick is going to have to earn his chances. That has been the case for every player since Harbaugh took over as head coach. Harbaugh wrote as much in the message that was hanging on posters around the locker room last season: 'We predict those who produce will stay.' The simple phrase is the foundation of the culture. Johnston will have to perform. Johnston will have to produce. And if he does those things, he will earn a spot on the roster and potentially a starting job.
That road will be exceedingly more difficult this year for Johnston because of the moves the Chargers made in the offseason. They signed Mike Williams in free agency, and Williams is one of Justin Herbert's all-time favorite targets. They drafted two receivers in second-rounder Tre' Harris and fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith. All three of those receivers play primarily on the outside, where Johnston plays.
In June, receivers coach Sanjay Lal said this of Johnston: 'I told him he's a starter, because he is. And he's operating that way.' The moves the Chargers made indicate, at minimum, they wanted more competition at this position. Johnston improved from Year 1 to Year 2. But he still had frustrating moments in 2024, including a monumental drop in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. It is not hard to draw a through line from that drop to the way the Chargers approached receiver this offseason. Johnston also did not have a catch on five targets in the Chargers' playoff loss at the Houston Texans.
Receiver is going to be a highly competitive position in training camp. I see at least eight receivers in competition for six spots: Ladd McConkey, Williams, Harris, Lambert-Smith, Derius Davis, Johnston, Jalen Reagor and Brenden Rice. Those who produce will stay.
Do you think there are gonna be trade targets as the season gets closer like the late addition of Elijah Molden last year? — @TreRober1213
General manager Joe Hortiz views roster building as a 365-day process, and I do not think that approach will change as long as he is in this role. As such, I think the Chargers will be monitoring markets throughout camp — and especially toward cutdown day when potential value-add options become available via trade or the waiver wire. Last year, the Chargers made several August moves. They signed defensive lineman Teair Tart midway through camp to beef up their interior depth. In late August, they traded for backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, and they traded for Molden, as our question-asker mentioned.
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All three of those moves came after the Chargers had a firmer grasp on the state of their roster. And I think they will want to see a similar sample size this year before they make any sort of move. In the case of Heinicke, the Chargers gave Easton Stick an extended audition in training camp before they went shopping for an upgrade. Herbert sat out three weeks of training camp with a plantar fascia injury. Stick was QB1 for that stretch. He struggled. The Chargers then made the move. With Molden, the Chargers had a sense that they would need an upgrade at the third safety spot to give them flexibility to move Derwin James Jr. around. But they still gave A.J. Finley a chance to earn that spot in training camp. When Finley did not claim that job convincingly, they made a move.
And so I think the Chargers will see how the players on the roster perform before making any moves this year. If Zion Johnson makes a smooth transition to center, and Bradley Bozeman looks comfortable at left guard, then it might not be necessary for the Chargers to make a move on the interior offensive line. If the opposite happens, the Chargers could be forced to look into the trade or free agent markets to find another interior piece — perhaps veteran guard Brandon Scherff. Wait for the pads to come on, and then make an evaluation.
Is there any reason to believe some of the offensive additions will mask the lack of investment on the interior OL? — @milesrwilliams
In theory, the increased options on offense should have a positive impact on the offensive line. How much of an impact? I think that is where there is room for debate. On one hand, the Chargers will have more players on the field who can consistently beat man coverage. And that should give Herbert more places to go with the ball, particularly on third down, when defenses generally play more man. Third down is also when defenses can get more creative with their blitzes, simulated pressures and stunts. The Chargers struggled to block these looks on the interior last year. It was one of their biggest weaknesses.
Herbert was sacked on 9.3 percent of his third-down dropbacks in 2024, the highest rate of his career, according to TruMedia. Herbert also ranked 28th in expected points added per dropback on third downs against man coverage last season, according to TruMedia. For reference, Herbert averaged -0.23 EPA per dropback on third down when facing man coverage in 2024. From 2020 to '23, Herbert averaged 0.32 EPA per dropback in those situations and never posted a season average below 0.16, his rookie year. More receiving options will not hurt the Chargers' performance in these situations.
On the other hand, the Chargers added receiving options who are at their best attacking down the field, from Harris to Williams to Lambert-Smith to rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden. To attack down the field, an offense must protect to give the quarterback time. This gives me a little bit of pause in terms of how much the added playmakers can truly mask the interior issues. The Chargers believe free agent addition Mekhi Becton will drastically improve the play of the interior. They also made a calculated decision in terms of the roster build. They could have shopped more aggressively in the free agent guard market. Instead, they made one move with Becton, whom they signed to a solid value deal. They could have taken an interior offensive lineman earlier in the draft. Instead, they invested pretty heavily in their pass-catching option between Harris, Lambert-Smith and Gadsden.
In the end, the Chargers walked away from the Houston game with two primary weaknesses they had to address in some capacity. They needed help on the interior offensive line. They needed more receiving options outside of McConkey. They did address both, though they clearly leaned more heavily in one direction. We will see if the pass-catching additions are enough to elevate the offense, or if the protection on the interior continues to have a hamstringing effect.
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The No. 1 position battle you will be following closest is? — @DanielO93512328
Receiver is in the conversation. So is interior defensive line, where the Chargers have a deep group that lacks a clear top-end producer. But I will go with cornerback, because ultimately I believe it will be the most contested battle in camp. Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still both return coming off solid rookie seasons. Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste enter the picture as veteran free agent additions. Ja'Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard return as veteran holdovers. And the Chargers also drafted a corner in Trikweze Bridges, who has intriguing size-speed skills.
That amounts to seven corners for what will likely end up being six spots. Hart missed most of the spring program as he rehabbed from offseason shoulder surgery, so it was hard to get a read on where the rotations actually stood during OTAs and minicamp. I will be keeping a close eye on this early in camp, partly because of how defensive coordinator Jesse Minter framed the battle in June.
'Some weeks you play these giant receivers, some weeks you play different types,' Minter said then. 'And so I think at corner nowadays sometimes you're trying to create a little bit of a basketball team, where you can match up differently on different people.'
The Chargers could have a package with bigger bodies on the outside, Hart and St-Juste. They could have a package with smaller ball-hawking types in Jackson and Still. They could mix and match. The rotations also depend on how much nickel James plays. Early indications are he will be playing there often, as he did in the second half of last year. If James plays more safety, though, that could mean more playing time in the slot for Still or Taylor. It is a puzzle, and the pieces will start to fit together next week.
(Top photo of Quentin Johnston: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)