With the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this past offseason, fourth-year wide receiver Joshua Palmer has been tasked with stepping up as the LA Chargers' No. 1 wide receiver.
There are other candidates for the role, such as rookie Quentin Johnston, but Palmer is the most established wide receiver in the team's wide receiver room. If there was ever a time for Palmer to break out and reach his projected ceiling, it is in 2024 when the Chargers desperately need it.
One concern fans have with Palmer taking this proverbial jump is his recent injury history. Palmer missed seven games in 2023 with a nagging knee injury that fans are worried will impact his 2024 season.
Unfortunately, Palmer is already dealing with issues on the same knee during Chargers training camp. Palmer has had an issue twice in the last week with the knee, as outlined by Daniel Popper of The Athletic:
"Joshua Palmer came limping after making a contested catch on a dig route with cornerback Chris Wilcox in coverage," Popper wrote after Wednesday's practice. "On Tuesday, Palmer was down for a few minutes after making a touchdown catch. He was pointing to his knee when trainers came over. I did not see him return to team drills Wednesday after making the catch against Wilcox.
Joshua Palmer's injured knee is coming back to haunt the Chargers
Palmer dealing with an injured knee in 2024 would be disastrous for the Chargers. Los Angeles already has one of the worst group of pass-catchers in the sport and it would not do Justin Herbert any favors if Palmer misses time or is playing compromised with a bad knee.
This issue is compounded by the fact Ladd McConkey has missed time at Chargers training camp as well. McConkey was injured on a play last week during training camp and has not been seen practicing since.
It is unclear what the extent of McConkey's injury is. Like Palmer, the 2024 second-round pick has an injury history that is concerning for fans (and, quite frankly, is the reason why he fell to the second round in the first place).
The Chargers still have plenty of time until the start of the 2024 season and the team better hope that both wide receivers can get healthy in time. A WR room without Palmer and McConkey would see D.J. Chark and Quentin Johnston as the top two options with Derius Davis and two unproven, seventh-round rookies as the depth options.
But hey, this is the game the Chargers chose to play with how the front office constructed the roster for Herbert and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. There is very little wiggle room and a very hard path to success if even the smallest number of injuries start to add up.