{"id":751995,"date":"2026-06-22T02:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T02:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/751995\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T02:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T02:31:14","slug":"is-nfl-world-sleeping-on-mike-mcdaniels-impact-on-quentin-johnston-with-chargers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/751995\/","title":{"rendered":"Is NFL World Sleeping on Mike McDaniel’s Impact on Quentin Johnston With Chargers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quentin Johnston is the one big thing that didn\u2019t change for the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> upon the arrival of Mike McDaniel this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McDaniel, a savant of an offensive mind who revamped literally every position on Justin Herbert\u2019s offense this offseason, endorsed Johnston at every turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about changes at tight end (Charlie Kolar and David Njoku), changes at running back (Keaton Mitchell), changes at fullback (Alec Ingold) and changes along the offensive line (gestures at everything).\u00a0<\/p>\n

At wideout, though, rookie draft pick Brenen Thompson is a speedster who isn\u2019t exactly a threat to take many in the way of snaps from Johnston. No other major moves, not even the somewhat-expected return of Keenan Allen again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So why the continued endorsement of Johnston that goes against what fans expect?\u00a0<\/p>\n

YAC, obviously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mike McDaniel keeps endorsing Quentin Johnston\"Los<\/p>\n

Quentin Johnston | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

As expected, the cap-savvy Chargers picked up Johnston\u2019s fifth-year option.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the option doesn\u2019t guarantee snaps. What followed all offseason was, basically, the Chargers guaranteeing his snaps through their lack of other moves, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maybe McDaniel sees a little Deebo Samuel or Tyreek Hill in Johnston when thinking about his scheme, at least when it comes to YAC (yards-after-catch) chances. Those guys set career highs in various ways during times with McDaniel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnston sounds like he\u2019s happy to get a stab at it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn college, I was a big yards-after-catch guy,\u201d Johnston said<\/a>. \u201cSo when he kind of introduced some of those things to us during meetings and at practice, he kind of lit me up a little bit. I’m very fired up about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnston was a YAC monster in college, but he\u2019s averaged just 13 yards per catch overall over three pro seasons so far. The bigger problem is the fact he\u2019s caught just 144 of his 243 targets over that span. That\u2019s not going to cut it with a quarterback like Justin Herbert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Context matters, though. Johnston has gone through the same well-known coordinator changes over the years as Herbert. Last year\u2019s archaic Greg Roman attack, combined with an injured, poor offensive line, didn\u2019t exactly help his numbers. He still scored eight touchdowns for the second year in a row.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On paper, a more modernized, if not trendsetting offense that is harder for defenses to read and stop, could lead to big things for Johnston.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One could argue it was a little surprising the Chargers didn\u2019t make bigger moves on the chance Johnston struggles with drops or something else again. But they\u2019ve got second-year players Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith developing and worthy of a look, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First up, though, is Johnston, who gets at least a little bit of a chance to prove he can live up to that first-round billing. It\u2019s hard to think of a better chance than by working in a McDaniel offense, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest – OnSI\u2019s Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

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