The Los Angeles Chargers went into the offseason needing to get some more dynamism for the wide receivers corps. While not to the extent that some fans might have hoped, they did improve in this regard. They are pretty well set at the position for 2023 without many question marks, aside from how the depth chart might look after the starters. The question is if it will be enough for the offense to be more explosive.
Previewing the Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receivers
The Starters: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams
The Chargers currently have one of the more solid starting wide receiver duos in the league. The offense was noticeably more productive in 2022 when both were healthy – which didn’t happen until down the stretch, unfortunately. Allen’s top-tier route-running ability and William’s big-play ability are a nice complement to each other.
The one catch of sorts is that, due to them both having upcoming large cap hits, one of these two will likely be gone in 2024. The natural assumption seems to be Allen, given that he is aging and is less of an outside threat than he once was. It could end up also being Williams, though, given that he is the less consistent of the two. Regardless of who, though, we will likely see one new member to the starting wide receiver duo – hence who they drafted in the first round.
The Rookies: Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis
The Chargers took two receivers in the Draft. The primary one was Quentin Johnston in the first round, who is noted for his physicality and his yards-after-catch ability. It remains to be seen just how good he’ll be in the NFL, but the team is excited about him. He may actually get outside reps opposite Williams right away, as Allen may end up playing out of the slot more often at this stage in his career than he already was. With both Allen and Williams still there, though, there won’t be as much pressure for Johnston to handle a large workload – yet.
Derius Davis was actually drafted to be the replacement punt returner for DeAndre Carter, who departed in free agency. However, he also has the sort of speed that only one other receiver on the team has, which could get him worked into the rotation as well. He won’t be higher than WR4 at best (and even that may be generous), but he could easily end up making some explosive plays on offense this year in the rotation.
Rounding Out the Depth Chart: Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton
Josh Palmer would be a quite solid WR3 on most teams, with possibly the upside of a WR2. However, he ended up in the unfortunate position of being at the wrong place at the wrong time where his skillset could stand out. He’s basically a discount Keenan Allen, but without the separation ability – and with the team needing more dynamism at the WR3 spot, that has effectively forced him to the WR4 spot after the addition of Johnston. It’s possible he could end back up at WR3 in 2024 after either Allen or Williams is gone.
Jalen Guyton was supposed to be the team’s primary deep threat last year – which he had already been doing decently the two years before – but he tore his ACL in Week 3. He did re-sign with the team this offseason, but with Derius Davis in the mix, he could end up being the odd man out if the Chargers go with five wide receivers on the final roster like they have as of late. If they go with six this time, his roster spot should be safe.
The Rest: Pokey Wilson, John Hightower, Keelan Doss, Terrell Bynum
At this point, we’re almost certainly just looking at training camp bodies and practice squad candidates. Out of this bunch, Pokey Wilson is the most likely to make some noise. He was a fan favorite at FSU and is another “take-the-top-off-the-defense” option with his speed. While he’s more likely to end up on the practice squad, his best hope for making the roster right now is to beat out Guyton for the sixth receiver spot (if that spot even ends up existing).
John Hightower was on the practice squad last year, and before that, he had 10 catches for 167 yards with the Philadelphia Eagles. If he is kept this year, it will almost certainly be as a practice squad man again. Keelan Doss was also signed as a practice squad guy last year and was actually on the active roster for a couple of weeks. However, he did not receive any catches during that time. Based on that, he might have an edge over Hightower for a practice squad spot, but that’s about it.
Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
