It has certainly been a rocky road for Chargers second-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston, but the faith that head coach Jim Harbaugh has placed in him may be beginning to pay off.
Following an abysmal rookie season where he was most remembered for one of the worst drops in recent NFL history, this has been an up-and-down season for Johnston. At times, QJ has looked like a true No. 1 option for Justin Herbert in this offense, and at times he has looked every bit as bad as the receiver that many fans were already labeling a bust.
Through it all, one person has never lost faith in Johnston: head coach Jim Harbaugh. Following Sunday's season finale performance against the Raiders, Harbaugh's faith in QJ may be beginning to pay off.
Jim Harbaugh's faith in Quentin Johnston may be justified
During training camp, when most Bolts' fans were calling Johnston a bust and openly questioning whether or not he would even make the roster in 2024, Harbaugh expressed open belief in QJ:
"You know, whatever it was, it just seemed like in somebody's mind he's been a disappointment. He hasn't been at all in my eyes [...] I've been nothing but happy with Quentin Johnston, Q. Still, I got a bad bruise from the semifinal game a few years ago. But everything I've seen in the offseason in practice, the way he trains. He's one of our top guys right now."Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
Throughout this season, Johnston has had flashes of improvement. Johnston has also had the drops and poor decisions that have frustrated a fan base that is desperately looking for a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Johnston was a first-round draft pick in 2023 for a reason, the dude does have talent. He's tall, he's fast, he can be explosive and an absolute mismatch for secondaries in this league. That is what has made his inconsistencies so frustrating... the talent is clearly there. The question has been, would QJ ever put that talent to good use and begin to repay the faith that his coach, his quarterback, and this franchise has placed in him?
Sunday, Johnston finally looked like a player worthy of the belief that his team has placed in him. To put it quite simply, Quentin Johnston took over the game during Sunday's season finale aginst divisional rival, Las Vegas Raiders. With the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs on the line, the team decided to make Johnston the centerpiece of their offense. And boy did he deliver.
Johnston was targeted by quarterback Justin Herbert on 14 different possessions and QJ brought in 13 of those targets. That's a completion rate of 92%.
For a player that has the reputation of having butterfingers and being unable to catch a pass if you hand it to him, that's pretty damn good. Those 13 targets were not merely dink and dunk yards either. The Bolts stretched the field as Johnston showed blazing speed and exposed holes in coverages like one of the game's best. In the end, Johnston would have a career-best 186 yards receiving.
On Sunday, Johnston began to find redemption and now he wants more. Following his career day, Johnston said, "I want to have many more of these." The playoffs can be where careers are truly made and the 2024 LA Chargers are heading toward a crucial playoff game on Saturday against the Houston Texans. The opportunity is there for Quentin Johnston to top what he did on Sunday on the big stage with the whole country watching.
If Johnston has another great game during these playoffs, Harbaugh's faith in him will truly pay off and Bolts fans will have a new star to marvel at in La La Land.