I've been spending part of this offseason relearning about wide receiver positions and how they relate to offensive philosophies, specifically in the NFL.

As the Los Angeles Chargers continue to shop Quentin Johnston around in hopes of finding a good trade package before May 1st, it has led me to wonder if the team has anyone on the roster that can take his spot in the team's offense.

Allow me to explain....

NFL offenses are typically aligned in one of two ways.

Here is "21 personnel", which means the offense has two running backs and 1 tight end:

Here is "11 personnel", which means the offense has one running back and one tight end (and three wide receivers):

I want you to notice one important thing before we move on from these images.

Pay attention to which players are on the line of scrimmage and which ones are not. Tight ends and "inline receivers" (lined up along the end of the offensive line instead of separated out to the side) are always on the line, as is the X-receiver.

Now, let's get into responsibilities and what the team is hoping for from each spot:

Your X-receiver is almost always the best WR on your team. In 11 personnel, they are on an island against the best CB on the other team and need to be able to win that one-on-one battle at different levels without the benefit of a head start from playing off the line.

That means that the type of player you're looking for in the X spot in one that is tall, strong, fast, with good footwork, an ability to high-point the ball (to win jump balls), and some yards-after-catch ability never hurts.

Quentin Johnston has been some of those things for the Chargers, but he has also left something to be desired. Because of his smaller size, I don't think Ladd McConkey fits the bill for an X-receiver. 

If the Chargers were to trade Johnston away, that would probably leave second-year WR Tre' Harris II as the team's best option here. We'll get back to that in a moment.

Z-receivers are important, maybe even more so in Mike McDaniel's offense.

Because the Z-receiver plays off the line, they will often be a part of pre-snap movement. This is primarily meant to help diagnose what type of defense is being played, but McDaniel has weaponized it with his infamous "cheat motion" that gives the receiver a running headstart before the ball is snapped.

Z-receivers are usually small and fast, playing off the line to prevent opposing DBs from "jamming" them at the line and throwing them off on timing routes. They're also usually tough as hell, often running the over-the-middle routes that can lead to big hits.

The Z-receiver usually travels with the tight end, with their routes being combinations that often play off of each other. Keenan Allen has been something of a prototypical Z-receiver, or you can think of Marin Harrison Sr. if you're on the older side of things, who probably wouldn't find much success trying to play at the X spot. 

Allen has lost whatever speed he once had, which means he's probably better served as a backup or a slot WR at this point.

Here's where things are going to get a little less concrete.

Some offenses refer to their slot WR as the Y and some refer to their TE as the Y. Those are, obviously, wildly different roles to be grouping together like that.

However, it makes some sense in that neither the Y nor a TE will ever be lined up on the outside. They will always be on the inside of another WR, and those routes will typically work in combination.

I'll give you an example: If Ladd McConkey was running an out-and-in from the Y spot to get him open over the middle of the field with potential yards after the catch, Oronde Gadsden (or a slot WR) would likely be asked to run a deep route up the middle. 

That either pulls the defense down the field, leaving an opening for McConkey to run into, or the defense plays it straight and gives Gadsden an opening for a big catch downfield (that option requires the offensive line to keep Herbert's feet planted).

Because you can build these route combinations to do a number of different things, there is less of a prototype for inside WR. Some teams like to have a burner that stretches defenses vertically. Some like to have another Y-receiver type, that can get open quickly underneath, to try and stretch defenses horizontally.

Some are okay with this role going to a jump-ball specialist, as long as they have the offensive line to keep the QB upright long enough for the receiver to get downfield.

Quentin Johnston was the Chargers' X-receiver in 2025. He took more snaps from the "Left Out" spot than any other by a wide margin.

Keenan Allen and Tre' Harris II split time as the Z-receiver for much of the season, with Allen also spending some time in the slot.

Ladd McConkey, who could also potentially play the Z, spent about two-thirds of his snaps playing in the slot last year. 

I am concerned for this group that has not re-signed Keenan Allen, not signed anyone new, and appears ready to trade Quentin Johnston for draft picks. 

That would still leave L.A. without a true X-receiver, unless they believe that Tre' Harris II is ready for a monumental leap in his second NFL season, and little depth behind the starters.

I think more names get added to this group, and I'm almost betting on Allen to re-sign with the Chargers, but the team has to have another plan (Tyreek Hill?) for that #1 spot after they figure out what's going on with Quentin Johnston. Asking Harris to play on the line of scrimmage against the best CBs in the league is asking for trouble.