After an 0-5 start to the season, the focus for the Los Angeles Chargers will now need to shift, rather sharply, away from hoping for a playoff berth. This team simply hasn't shown enough through the first portion of the season to believe there's a historic turnaround anywhere in store.
That doesn't mean we're staring down the barrel of an 0-17 campaign. There's room for this offense to improve when everyone is healthy again, and depending on how the Chargers want to approach their offensive coordinator duties for the rest of the campaign, there's a chance we could be seeing some major changes in the near future. The defense, moreover, has at least shown a baseline of productivity that could lead to some wins down the stretch of the season.
But this isn't a competitive roster as it stands. Between now and the trade deadline on Nov. 10, Joe Hortiz needs to be doing everything he can to retrieve some draft capital in exchange for the moveable assets on the roster. That, most clearly, includes veterans like Khalil Mack and David Njoku—both of whom are on one-year deals.
It also could theoretically include Quentin Johnston, who's failed to put up any sort of real production in this offense to this point in the season. With the organization having already picked up his fifth-year option, though, it's going to be a tall task to convince any team to take that on—and Johnson has just three games between now and the trade deadline to flash any sort of value to potential suitors.
Any team that swings on Quentin Johnston will be betting on his upside—so he needs to flash some
Obviously, it would be hard for anyone to produce given the way this offense has performed so far. The way we saw Johnston start last season—posting 22 receptions for 337 yards and four touchdowns across his first four games—was almost certainly unattainable in the Mike McDaniel offense.
But Johnston isn't blameless here, either. He's struggled to earn separation in the deeper parts of the field, and he's made multiple drops when there have been opportunities for him to make significant plays. To this point in the season, he's caught just seven of his 19 targets for 108 yards and zero touchdowns. To make matters worse, he missed the Week 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos with a chest injury, and he was limited on Tuesday as the Chargers practiced for their Week 6 matchup.
In theory, Johnston's first-round pedigree should generate some interest across the league were he to hit the trade block. We just saw Marvin Harrison Jr. get moved from the Arizona Cardinals for the price of a second-round pick (plus a Day 3 swap). Obviously, though, Johnston doesn't possess the sort of theoretical talent that Harrison does, and the fact that Los Angeles has already picked up Johnston's fifth-year option complicates things significantly.
Any team that would be willing to take a swing on him would be betting not only on his upside within its offense—it would be betting on his ability to justify the $16.5 million salary he's already owed for next season.
Los Angeles' next three matchups, moreover, don't present especially enticing opportunities for Johnston to turn things around, assuming he's even able to play in Week 6.
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best passing defenses in the NFL to this point in the season, and it seems like their gambles on Mansoor Delane, Alohi Gilman, and Nohl Williams have paid off. The Los Angeles Rams (who, ironically, have former Chiefs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in the fold) are right up there with them. While the Houston Texans have struggled to regain their form from last season, an absolute shut-down performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 has generated some hope for a resurrection of that unit.
Even if Johnston is able to return this week, what are the chances of him suddenly putting up numbers in this depleted Chargers offense? Who would be willing to take a $16.5 million gamble on a player as inconsistent as Johnston has been?
It's certainly something worth floating around the league for Joe Hortiz, but it doesn't seem—right now—like there's going to be a whole lot of teams knocking the door down if Johnston hits the trade block. And, if the rest of the campaign remains limited for the fourth-year receiver, it's hard to imagine the outlook will be any better this offseason.
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