Quentin Johnston's NFL journey has been far from linear, but as he approaches his fourth season, he's feeling more hopeful than ever.
The reason is simple: New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has appealing plans for Johnston within his system.
"I feel like the scheme he has is set up for the yards after catch," Johnston said, via . "There's not always a lot of room for that in this league but just showing us different angles and stuff to get to the ball after the catch and turning, going across field and doing different stuff in the plays he has built for us."
Johnston added: "In college, I was a big yard after catch guy so when he introduced some of those things to us during meetings and at practice, it lit me up a little bit. I'm really fired up about that."
Johnston's first-round selection in 2023 was supposed to supply Justin Herbert and the Chargers with their next No. 1 receiver at a time during which Los Angeles was preparing to move on from Keenan Allen (and eventually, Mike Williams). Initially, the results were underwhelming: 38 catches on 67 targets, 431 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (10 starts). Drops were a problem, and Johnston never looked comfortable.
As time passed and Johnston gained more experience, he steadily improved. Two 50-plus-catch, 700-plus-yard, eight-touchdown seasons followed, giving the Chargers enough confidence to pick up Johnston's fifth-year option in 2026.
"It went to where I was at that time and then kind of just going back to my first year, reflecting on what I've been through and stuff like that," Johnston said of finding out his option was being exercised. "Very excited when I got the call."
Now, most everyone in the Chargers' building believes Johnston is in the best position of his career to date. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he expects "a career year" from the TCU product. Herbert has been impressed by how quickly Johnston has acclimated to McDaniel's offense and thinks Johnston is "going to have his best year" under the new OC.
"It means a lot," Johnston said. "With that validation comes a little relief for myself, a weight I have previous years on my shoulders about how I was playing and what's going to come after that if I don't change. Like I said, I've been working as hard as I can the past few years, end up getting that validation now.
"I got previous years of experience under my belt so I feel free, taking my time learning this playbook and just go out there freely and play football."
If one needs an example of how explosive a McDaniel-led offense can be, look no further than the 2023 Miami Dolphins, a team that finished first in yards per game and second in points scored per game. That squad included a league receiving leader in Tyreek Hill (1,799 yards, 13 touchdowns) and a second 1,000-yard wideout in Jaylen Waddle (1,014 yards, four touchdowns).
With Herbert at the controls and McDaniel calling the shots, it's fair to expect Johnston to have a career year. They'll still need time to find a rhythm in the new scheme, but the bar has clearly been raised.
"He's done such a great job of picking up this offense, playing football and playing fast," Herbert said earlier in June. "I'm really excited to see what he can do this year."
