3 Chargers roster battles that have already been decided before preseason Week 3

2. Joshua Palmer over Quentin Johnston, WR3

The Chargers selected Quentin Johnston with the 21st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and it did not take long for the hype train to leave the station. Fans instantly started looking at all the positive parts of his game (ignoring the negatives) and assumed that he would be the WR3 at least in 2023.

We here at Bolt Beat made the case that Joshua Palmer was still the WR3 and that Johnston would gradually come into the league and not light the world on fire in his rookie season. Two preseason games and weeks of practice later, it has become clear that Palmer is the team's WR3 while Johnston will be the WR4.

Johnston has had some really high moments during camp and the preseason but he has also had some pretty bad moments. That is part of the equation when you have a rookie receiver who was already viewed as a boom-or-bust prospect to begin with.

Palmer meanwhile has been great in practice, albeit he has not played a preseason game. His experience and how he fits in the offense next to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are going to get him more snaps and it is deserved.

This does not mean fans should sell Johnston's stock, they simply should be patient with how he fits into this year's offense as well as his future outlook. Using Johnston more as a change-of-pace option with his lethal YAC ability has always been the best use of him in his rookie season.