Jim Harbaugh makes surprising decision on Chargers 2023 first-round pick

Travis Wakeman

Jim Harbaugh makes surprising decision on Chargers 2023 first-round pick image

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has a tried and true approach to coaching a football team and building a winner. He won't take feelings or draft status into account while building his program. 

That may not bode well for wide receiver Quentin Johnston, who was drafted in the first round last year, but had a rough rookie season. There was a chance that the young player could end up in the doghouse of Harbaugh and according to a report from Daniel Popper of The Athletic, that may already be happening.

It seems that when the Chargers open training camp this week, Johnston won't be part of the primary offense, or "11 personnel". Instead, the top three wide receivers appear to be Joshua Palmer, rookie Ladd McConkey and D.J. Chark. 

Quentin Johnston could be buried on Chargers' depth chart

That would leave Johnston as being the team's No. 4 wide receiver, at best. 

It's not a huge surprise to see Palmer and McConkey above him. Though McConkey is a rookie, the team moved up a few spots in the second round to draft him and he will play a very specific role in this offense and may even become the team's go-to option in the passing game. 

 

The name to be a little surprised about is that of Chark. But if you consider what Harbaugh is trying to build, it's not really a surprise. Chark is a veteran and when healthy, can be quite effective. Harbaugh is going to prove that over a shaky second-year player who never played with confidence last year. 

It's far too early to throw the word "bust" at Johnston, but he could have a serious uphill climb ahead of him in Los Angeles. 

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.