First-round draft bust wide receiver Quentin Johnston will likely go on the trade block after the brutal loss against the Houston Texans. According to a few reports, Johnston came into the matchup battling an injury and didn’t bring in one single catch on five targets. The wideout has been struggling since coming into the league with the 2023 Draft selection, the Charges took a gamble on him but it hasn’t been paying off. However, the team will have plenty of salary cap at $76 million to make a few moves to improve the passing game for quarterback Justin Herbert.
The signal-caller had one of the worst performances in his career, recording three interceptions where most of his picks were due to miscommunication from the wideouts. However, the inconsistent sophomore dropping balls might persuade the team to pull the plug and say enough is enough. While Bleacher Report says Joshua Palmer will become a free agent, they should probably reconsider bringing him back to give rookie Ladd McConkey some support in the aerial attack. Palmer gives more significance to helping Herbert thrive, while Johnston is only hindering the progress of Herbert.
With that, it might become difficult for the Chargers to find a trade partner due to Johnston’s performance. However, he was a trade candidate this midseason so plenty of teams should revisit the idea and see if he could fit into their offensive scheme.
Quentin Johnston Likely On Trade Block After Brutal Loss – Saints, Panthers Among Next Possible Teams
New Orleans Saints
Since the Saints will avoid the rebuild and bring back Derek Carr, they should put him in a better position with a new pass catcher. The team lost Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the season and while Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a solid temporary fit, they might benefit from trading for Johnston since he’s on a rookie contract. Johnston might have had two disastrous seasons, but Valdes-Scantling’s transition to New Orleans is evident that he might need a scenery change.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have their faith again in quarterback Bryce Young after benching him this past 2024 campaign in favor of Andy Dalton. They should give more weapons to Young after trading Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo. Johnston might not be consistent but it gives Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette room to grow in the wide receiving department.
Kansas City Chiefs
No matter what happens to the Chiefs in this year’s postseason, they have several receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown who will become free agents. However, the Chiefs don’t have an enormous salary cap to work with to afford a high-end superstar. This will leave rookie Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice returning from his injury back to the lineup. Kansas City should do everything in its power to make Patrick Mahomes comfortable in the passing game.
While Johnston isn’t an ideal option for the Chiefs, they could take a chance on him and he might have the opportunity to become a better wide receiver in Kansas City.
Dallas Cowboys
It’s fair to say assuming from what Stephen Jones already said, the Cowboys aren’t going to be active in the free-agent market. They plan to use this upcoming offseason on the 2025 NFL Draft, but that probably won’t get them back in the postseason if they use that route. The team may lose Brandin Cooks this free agency and didn’t do much but trade for rookie Jonathan Mingo midseason in hopes revive the passing attack for Dallas.
Quentin Johnston might find success alongside star CeeDee Lamb if the Cowboys play their cards right. This could be a worthy one-off trade investment the Cowboys may wind up doing.
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