Deep connection between Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston shown off at Monday’s training camp practice

Justin Herbert hooked up with Quentin Johnston on a pair of deep passes during Monday’s training camp session, previewing what could be a growing connection between QB and WR.

With the sudden retirement of veteran wideout Mike Williams last week, the pressure was instantly upped on the rest of the younger receivers for the Chargers now that there will be one less established veteran in the room. One player who will see his expectation take an upward turn is Quentin Johnson, the third-year wide receiver who will be entering what fans hope will be another career year after leading the team in touchdowns in 2024.

On Monday, Johnston’s connection with Herbert looked stellar as the pair hooked up for a pair of deep passes down the left sideline.

The Chargers posted a video of the first catch on their X account that you can see right here:

Later one in the same session, Herbert looked Johnston’s way one more time as he caught the ball just over the head of a would-be defender.

Last season, QJ put up career highs with 55 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. He had his best game of his career against the Las Vegas Raiders in the season finale, catching 13 of 14 passes for 186 yards. Unfortunately, that momentum did not carry into the playoffs against the Houston Texas where he went catch-less on five targets.

While Johnson did objectively take a step forward in his progression as a player, he still found himself the victim of untimely drops throughout the season. I think it’s fair to say Johnston is a more reliable receiver now than he was as a rookie, but by how much is something he’ll have to prove to the team and fan base this season now with two years under his belt.