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.
Last year's No. 21 overall pick Quentin Johnston entering a camp battle with DJ Chark for the WR3 role in a run-centric offense is... rough.
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) July 20, 2024
Via The Athletic: pic.twitter.com/HKQyOQDZFD
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.
