Chargers News: Is the Top Incumbent Los Angeles Receiver in Trouble?

Will LA move on from its most proven option?

Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5). / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Los Angeles Chargers really be ready to cut their best remaining veteran pass catcher option for Justin Herbert loose?

The evidence is slowly mounting. The Bolts flipped their top wideout option, Pro Bowler Keenan Allen of the Chicago Bears, while cutting their second-best receiver (when healthy), Mike Williams. This left Palmer, their former No. 3, as the team's most seasoned wideout.

Last season, the 24-year-old caught 38 receptions for a total of 581 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.3 yards per. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder still has high upside, but he may need to get more shine elsewhere.

In addition to second-year pros Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis, Los Angeles selected Georgia Bulldogs receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, plus former Second-Team All-Pac-12 USC Trojans star Brenden Rice (son of Jerry) and ex-Michigan champ Cornelius Johnson in the seventh round.

The Bolts also inked one-time Pro Bowler D.J. Clark, most recently with the Carolina Panthers. Another free agent wide receiver, two-time Super Bowl champion former Kansas City Chiefs vet Marquez Valdes-Scantling, visited the club recently, though he has yet to sign with them.

Could the team be preparing to move on from its most proven receiver asset during its first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh and his new, run-heavy smashmouth offense? Time will tell.

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