Chargers Quentin Johnston Lands on List of Top 25 of Players Who Could Be Moved

The Los Angeles Chargers have really struggled through the first seven weeks of the 2026 season as they have started 0-6 and were on a bye in Week 7, with the battle of Los Angeles looming against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

As a result of the rough start, there has been a lot of trade speculation, and on that note, one player who could be on the move is wide receiver Quentin Johnston, as he was mentioned in a recent list of 25 players who could be moved before the NFL trade deadline on November 10th.

Recently, fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN Matt Bowden and senior NFL reporter for ESPN Jeremy Fowler came together and did a piece on the 2026 NFL trade deadline: ranking the top 25 candidates to move, plus team fits, and on that list, Johnston came in at No. 20.

When it comes to Johnston, Fowler noted that Johnston was ruled out in the offseason after the Chargers exercised his fifth-year option, but following the 0-6 start, Fowler has been hearing his name reappear in league circles.

Based on that information it is going to be very interesting to see if Johnston does indeed get moved as the Chargers may be looking more toward the future in hopes of getting draft capital for players like Johnston, but it will come down to what general manager Joe Hortiz wants to do and what the vision for this team is.

Additionally, Bowden has a section for what he sees on tape for each player and for Johnston, he sees a player with a great frame with Johnston standing at 6-3 and 208 pounds, has the ability to generate explosive plays, and help a team as a No. 3 receiver, but the main weakness Johnston has is drops as he has dropped 11 passes over the first four seasons of his career. 

With that said, it is clear that Johnston has some talent and could be a great addition for a few different teams if the Chargers decide to move on from him.

Speaking of the Chargers possibly moving on from Johnston, Fowler and Bowden listed his predicted chance to get traded at 25 percent and listed potential team fits as the San Francisco 49ers, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All that to say, Johnston has talent and has been able to flash at times for the Chargers through his first four seasons in Los Angeles, but this season he has only recorded eight receptions and the offense as a whole has really struggled so it will be interesting to see if he ends up being moved or if the Chargers really do think they want to extend him and that he has a future in LA.

Moving forward, the Chargers have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to how they want to proceed as a team, and with Johnston specifically it will be worth watching if they want to have him on this team for the future or if they feel the need to move him and acquire some draft capital or different young talent. Regardless, of what happens with Johnston, the Chargers will be a team to watch leading up to the trade deadline.