The Chargers got here up as a team that was on the radar to say Diontae Johnson. Hours after that report, the Texans lost Tank Dell to a different season-ending injury. The top zone fall that ended Dell’s second season appears to have affected the Bolts’ receiver plans.
Johnson is Houston-bound, having been claimed by the Texans ahead of their Christmas Day matchup against Johnson’s most up-to-date team. As Johnson prepares to potentially face the Ravens, the Chargers saw their possibilities to land him denied. The Bolts were the one other team to submit a claim, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports.
This waiver effort after the Chargers and Panthers discussed Johnson on the deadline, The Bolts also . Though, a low-level Ravens offer — a pick swap involving fifth- and sixth-rounders — was believed to be the very best the Panthers received. The trade backfired on Baltimore quickly.
Although each the Chargers and Texans are 9-6, the latter held the waiver priority. This may very well be significant for a Chargers team that has relied on second-round rookie Ladd McConkey this season. McConkey has battled injuries, most notably missing the Bolts’ rematch with the Chiefs, but emerged as their clear No. 1 goal. Johnson could have given Los Angeles one other proven option ahead of a probable playoff berth, albeit a slightly volatile option based on how uneven his 2024 has been.
Traded twice, Johnson asked out of each situations (Pittsburgh and Carolina) and refused to enter Baltimore’s Week 13 game against Philadelphia. The Ravens suspended the sixth-year vet after which cut him. Known for his separation skills (and drop issues), Johnson caught only one pass in 4 Ravens games after being acquired in a low-end pick-swap trade on the trade deadline.
Jim Harbaugh‘s first offseason in L.A. led the Bolts to trade Keenan Allen and cut Mike Williams, ending a seven-year partnership. The Chargers were connected to potentially reacquiring Williams on the deadline, however the Steelers sent the Jets a fifth-round pick to achieve this. Los Angeles stayed the course at receiver, keeping the likes of Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston in place as McConkey complements.
Palmer’s 543 yards sit second amongst Chargers, but McConkey has amassed 960 in his rookie yr. He’s poised to develop into the primary Charger rookie since Allen (2013) to post a 1,000-yard receiving season. Still, Justin Herbert is brief on weapons in an offense that also has not seen much from its tight ends within the passing game. Palmer is due totally free agency, and a pre-deadline report pointed to the edges being prone to separate come March. Johnston can be at best a piece in progress, having not yet justified his 2023 draft slot while first-round peers Jordan Addison, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zay Flowers have been higher options for his or her respective teams. Johnston has totaled 477 yards and eight touchdowns, nevertheless, showing greater than he did as a rookie. For now, the TCU alum stays within the Chargers’ plans.
It could seem Harbaugh’s second offseason would require an addition at receiver and maybe help at tight end, the coach’s run-game interest notwithstanding. Johnson would have provided an interesting player on that front, because the Bolts would have secured exclusive negotiating rights with him until March 10 had the claim undergone. The Texans now hold those rights, as Johnson will try to salvage some free agency value amid his worst NFL season.
