AFC West wide receiver rotations ranked from worst to best in 2023
3. Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis, Jalen Guyton
The Los Angeles Chargers have a couple of absolutely outstanding receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams who have both really thrived with Justin Herbert throwing them passes. The primary issue is, those guys have had their share of struggles staying healthy. As a result, Austin Ekeler has absorbed a lot more of the team's targets in the passing game.
Allen is a technician from the slot who can get open against anyone despite not having elite speed. He's crafty as a route runner, he's got good size, and some of the strongest hands in the league.
Mike Williams is an absolute freak of nature when it comes to winning downfield contested catches. He knows how to use his frame to his advantage, and his efficiency on a per-target basis has seemingly just gotten better with time.
Williams turns 29 this year and Keenan Allen turned 31 in the Spring, and with their age in mind, the Chargers went out in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and selected Quentin Johnston of TCU. Another big-bodied receiver, the Chargers clearly plan on throwing the ball above everyone else as much as possible going forward. While there's a lot to like about Johnston's game, I think it's fair to say the Chargers also could have gotten better players when they were up to pick in round one, specifically at the receiver position.
Josh Palmer actually led all Chargers receivers last year with 72 receptions, but it didn't really feel like a true breakout year for the former third-round pick. Palmer could have taken a much bigger leap forward with all the injury issues going on with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but it felt like they were force-feeding him the ball more than anything else.
Derius Davis and Jalen Guyton couldn't be more different in terms of their size, but those are two players who add long speed to the mix for this otherwise just big group of receivers.