INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Proof of Quentin Johnston’s development came on three plays in the Los Angeles Chargers’ preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.
Only one of those plays showed up in the box score — a 19-yard reception on the opening play of the second half. A smooth out-breaking route. Separation. Proper timing and depth on the break. Strong hands away from his frame while driving through the catch point. Protecting the football through contact.
The other two plays did not go down as catches, but they still showed tangible progress.
Earlier in the game, in the first quarter, the Chargers faced a third-and-19. Johnston was matched up one-on-one on the outside with Rams defensive back Tre Tomlinson. Quarterback Easton Stick took the shotgun snap. Johnston exploded off the line and attacked vertically on Tomlinson, who was in off coverage. At the 10-yard mark, Johnston stutter-stepped, feinting a break on the route. Tomlinson bit on the fake. He drove down on Johnston, who came out of the stutter-step and accelerated up the sideline.
Tomlinson made contact with Johnston more than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, which drew an illegal contact flag. Johnston was still wide open down the field. Stick overthrew him. This should have been a completion and maybe a touchdown. Instead, the Chargers settled for an automatic first down on the penalty.
The result does not matter as much as the process, though. This is the type of deception Johnston was missing in his route-running last season.
“Just something we’ve been practicing as a group and mastering all week,” Johnston said of the double move. “Obviously, we just need to go out there and perfect it, put it on display. That’s what I did. Broke him down at 10 (yards) like we practiced. Should have honestly gone outside a little bit more because he still kind of caught me, which is why I was kind of short on the ball. But other than that, it was just like we practiced, and I feel good about it.”
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Johnston has talked repeatedly, through the offseason and into training camp, about how much he has benefitted from playing under wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal.
He said the double move Saturday was “100 percent” an example of the impact Lal has made so far.
“With his coaching and me just dialing in,” Johnston said, “I feel like my confidence has gone way up.”
The start to Johnston’s career has been more about potential than actualized production. This play — the route, the acceleration, the breakaway separation outside the numbers — was a glimpse of what Johnston can be in the league: a true home run hitter.
“When he’s really playing his technique, doing his job, it looks the way it should,” coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Route running was one piece missing from Johnston’s game in his rookie season. Another piece was reliable hands.
Late in the third quarter, the Chargers faced a third-and-18 from deep in their own territory. Johnston was aligned wide to the right. Quarterback Luis Perez took the shotgun snap. The Rams dropped into a Cover 2 zone to Johnston’s side of the field — the corner playing the flat and the safety playing over the top. Johnston ran a go route. A perfect throw can attack the hole between the flat corner and the deep safety. Perez threw a little too far up the sideline to Johnston, which gave the safety, Jason Taylor II, the time and angle to make a play on Johnston.
Johnston tracked the throw, leaped and high-pointed the ball through a hit from Taylor. He got one foot down but was forced out before he could get the second foot down.
Again, though, focus on process over results.
The concentration at the catch point was there. And then Johnston’s athletic ability, particularly his vertical leap, took over.
Development is not always linear. And sometimes you have to sift through some layers to see it. This play was an incompletion. But the improvement with Johnston’s hands was evident.
“Even though I didn’t get my (second) foot down, just putting my hands on display,” Johnston said. “I know that’s a doubt in a lot of people’s minds right now, but it’s not a doubt in my mind. So just any chance I can get, put that on display.”
Some other notes from Saturday’s preseason loss …
• In his first NFL game, rookie running back Kimani Vidal led the Chargers with 49 rushing yards on 11 carries. Of note were two rushes on the first drive of the game for the Chargers. Vidal broke off two long runs. The first went for 13 yards. Vidal followed some well-executed blocking to the left side. He showed good vision and acceleration, finding creases amid a crowded picture before bursting for first-down yardage. On the next play, the Chargers went back to Vidal on an outside zone run. Vidal got the edge before finishing with ferocity through Tomlinson.
I asked Vidal after the game if the thought “I belong here” was running through his mind after the second run, which went for 8 yards.
His response: “Exactly that.”
I left Vidal off my 53-man roster projection after Week 1 of the preseason. My grade at that stage was “incomplete.” He had missed a week of practice, including the joint session with the Rams, before not playing in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. You have to earn your spot in the NFL, and that will especially be the case under Harbaugh. Vidal had a strong week of practice last week. He followed that up with a solid performance in his first game action. I have moved him ahead of Isaiah Spiller and onto the 53-man in my running projection.
kimani been workin’ pic.twitter.com/MyaVp78Y0x
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 18, 2024
• The first-team offensive line — left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Zion Johnson, center Brenden Jaimes, right guard Trey Pipkins III and right tackle Joe Alt — got one series together Saturday. Center Bradley Bozeman did not play. The blocking, pass protection and run game was really solid. The timing on the run blocking, in particular, looked super cohesive. On Vidal’s 13-yard run, Johnson was quick off the ball and got to the second level. Alt and Pipkins pulled from the right side and timed their joint push perfectly. Tight ends Will Dissly and Tucker Fisk cleared additional room on the second level alongside Johnson.
This is what I expected to see from the Greg Roman offense. Sound fundamental run blocking. Fisk had some good blocking snaps at tight end and fullback. He could make a late push to land on the 53-man roster as TE4.
• Battling with Vidal in the running backs group is Jaret Patterson, who leads all backs this preseason in scrimmage yards (85) and yards per touch (4.7).
He is on my 53-man right now. I approached him in the locker room and expected a jovial conversation, considering the inroads he has made with the coaching staff through the spring and summer. Instead, he was somber. Patterson was replaying a 16-yard catch-and-run he had in the fourth quarter with the Chargers trailing 13-9. The Chargers were backed up in a first-and-20 after a holding penalty. Patterson ran a sharp angle route out of the backfield, caught the pass and nearly gained a first down.
“I wish I could get that back, man,” Patterson said. “I feel I could have scored right there.”
Patterson was trying to set up his blocks. Receiver Leon Johnson was to his left, approaching Rams defensive back Cameron McCutcheon. Patterson tried to cut left to set up Johnson’s block on McCutcheon. But he collided with Johnson. If Patterson had gotten to the outside, he had a lane to the end zone. Receiver Jaelen Gill was downfield sealing off defensive back Charles Woods.
The Chargers picked up the first down two plays later largely thanks to Patterson’s catch-and-run. But they did turn the ball over on downs later in the possession.
“I wanted to set up the corner and I just ran into my own guy,” Patterson said. “It was a big play, but it could have been an even bigger play if we were able to execute that.”
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• Defensive back JT Woods played a majority of his 28 defensive snaps at outside corner, and he held up well. Woods had been lining up at outside corner during practice last week and that carried over to the game. Woods has all the athletic traits in the world. He could be a better fit at corner, where he can truly use his size, length and speed. His weaknesses in terms of vision, feel and instincts can be magnified in a deep-safety role. Woods looked comfortable in some press-man snaps when he could get his hands on receivers.
• Cornerback Deane Leonard had three pass breakups, including an interception in the red zone. He also had some down moments — a horse-collar penalty, and a 22-yard completion down the left sideline he allowed four plays before his pick.
“Life on the red line,” Leonard said. “A short memory is needed, for sure.”
Leonard has been a gunner on first-team punt. He is making enough plays at corner to be firmly entrenched as a depth piece on the 53-man. Leonard and rookie Cam Hart are battling to be the first man off the bench at outside corner.
deane called dibs
📺 | CBS LA + Estrella pic.twitter.com/0wyqfWQxh0
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 18, 2024
• The battle for WR6 is shaping up into a two-man race between Simi Fehoko and Brenden Rice. Fehoko led the Chargers with 52 receiving yards Saturday. Rice did not have a catch on two targets. Fehoko also made a spectacular tackle in kickoff coverage. Will his special teams ability be enough to give him an edge over Rice?
(Photo: Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
