The LA Chargers held a voluntary offseason program prior to OTAs this week and video starting to emerge from the team itself, the fanbase is getting excited for what's to come in 2025. A clip of Justin Herbert throwing various deep balls made the rounds on Tuesday and it didn't take long for fans to realize Quentin Johnston wasn't included.
The absences in these videos are just as telling as those who are included. And while slo-mo practice videos mean absolutely nothing for the regular season, they can confirm previous biases about certain players. That is definitely the case with Johnston.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden II were seen catching passes from Justin Herbert in the video. While Johnston isn't the only Chargers weapon who didn't make the short clip, his absence speaks the loudest.
Chargers completely leave Quentin Johnston out of Justin Herbert hype video
The easiest explanation for Johnston's absence is that he didn't make any plays worth making the short highlight clip. Johnston isn't necessarily known for being consistent and the Chargers aren't going to post a video of him dropping a pass.
And yes, Johnston was there in attendance. A video of Herbert taking snaps from Zion Johnson showed Johnston running a jet sweep across the line of scrimmage. Johnston was definitely there, he just didn't do anything worthy of a 30-second hype clip.
For literally any other player on the Chargers this wouldn't mean a thing but for Johnston, it means a lot. This is someone who has been very disappointing in his first two seasons who needs to earn every single snap he plays in 2025.
The path to improving and becoming a reliable weapon in the passing game doesn't start in the preseason, it doesn't start in training camp. It started before these offseason programs, and right now, Johnston might be behind schedule.
Quite frankly, Chargers fans are not losing sleep over this reality. Chargers fans only want to see Johnston out there if he earns it in 2025. And until fans can actually see the Chargers in action with their own two eyes, these highlight clips provide all the information they can get.
Does this mean Johnston is guaranteed to have a bad season that effectively ends his Chargers career? Absolutely not. But it does keep any early hype away, not allowing fans to buy in on the third-year breakout for the former TCU wideout.