Joshua Palmer's hold on WR1 job with Los Angeles Chargers may be tenuous

Travis Wakeman

Joshua Palmer's hold on WR1 job with Los Angeles Chargers may be tenuous image

Entering the 2024 offseason, the biggest questions surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers, after they answered the question of who would be the next head coach, were centered around the wide receiver position. 

Once it was determined that both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams would no longer be part of the team's future, those questions became bigger. Would the team have enough to keep up in 2024?

Drafting Ladd McConkey in the second round in April eased some of those concerns but with the struggles of Quentin Johnston to this point in his career, a lot of pressure could be placed on Joshua Palmer

Palmer is not really a No. 1 wide receiver. He could be considered a strong No. 2, but it may be too much to expect him to be the team's go-to guy.

Joshua Palmer has been quiet in training camp

Palmer has not stood out in training camp. He looks like a team's No. 2 or No. 3 option. The bad thing for the Chargers is that they don't have that No.1 option this season. McConkey is a rookie and though he could be a great option for the team, he's not often going to stretch the defense down the field. 

D.J. Chark is a veteran but much like Palmer, is more of a complementary wide receiver. 

Making matters worse for the team is the recent plantar fascia injury suffered by Justin Herbert. Without their starting quarterback or a true No. 1 wide receiver, this offense could hit some bumps in the road. 

Last season, Easton Stick and Palmer played in three games together. Stick looked for him often, targeting him 22 times in those three games. They connected for 15 receptions, 204 yards and a touchdown. 

The hope will be that the Chargers don't have to rely on Stick past the preseason, but when Herbert returns to the field, he needs one of these wide receivers to step up and become his guy now that the highly reliable Allen is playing with the Chicago Bears. 

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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.