Chargers News: Veteran WR Looking for Group to Step Up This Season

As are the team's fans, no doubt.

Sep 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) celebrates his touchdown with tight end Stone Smartt (84) and tight end Donald Parham Jr. (89) against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Since general manager Joe Hortiz traded Keenan Allen and waived Mike Williams, veteran Los Angeles Chargers wideout Joshua Palmer has become one of his club's most seasoned pass catchers, at all of 24 years old.

DJ Chark Jr., signed as a free agent this summer, is another of the more experienced receivers on the club. The 27-year-old out of LSU caught 35 receptions for 525 yards and five total touchdowns.

Read More: Chargers News: Joshua Palmer Unpacks Not Having Keenan Allen, Mike Williams Around

“We have a lot of different personalities and a lot of different guys,” Palmer reflected of the team's reconfigured wide receiver room, during an interview with Eric Smith of Chargers.com. “Only a couple guys are back from last season so everyone is fairly new and we’re all learning each other.”

Last year, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Tennessee product logged 581 yards on 38 receptions, plus two touchdowns. He was Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert's third preferred target behind Allen and Williams. Rookie wideout Ladd McConkey, taken with the No. 34 pick out of Georgia (where he won a pair of CFP national championships), seems likely to vie for plenty of touches, too, along with Palmer and Chark. It will be intriguing to see how Los Angeles doles out touches to its top receivers this season, amidst chatter that new head coach Jim Harbaugh, fresh off a CFP national championship of his own with the Michigan Wolverines, is going to re-prioritize the run game this fall.

More Chargers: What is the Chargers' Biggest Weakness on Offense in 2024?