Quentin Johnston’s absolutely atrocious October ended with a substantial hit to his wallet.
The Los Angeles Chargers wideout was fined $17,389 for a hip-drop tackle on Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross during the first half of their Week 7 game at SoFi Stadium.
Johnston’s fine was announced Saturday after the 2023 first-round pick went untargeted in the Chargers’ 37-10 rout of the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Johnston has just six catches for 70 yards and one touchdown in four games since the calendar flipped to October — after missing LA’s 29-27 win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 12.
Quentin Johnston Was Fined On An Interception
Trailing 20-3 at home against the dominant Colts, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was intercepted by Cross in the end zone with just two minutes remaining in the first half.
Ironically, Johnston was fined even though he was not credited with a tackle — since Cross fell down in the end zone, it was simply called a touchback. Plus, Johnston’s tackle did not appear to be a hip-drop tackle on first glance, especially since Cross landed on his knees.
Hip-drop tackles are typically when a player pulls a player down from the hip then land on his legs. Yet, Johnston appeared to tackle Cross by his torso and pull him down, in what is deemed an acceptable tackle these days.
Still, Johnston can appeal his fine if he believes the league docked him in error.
Johnston later scored a touchdown from Herbert in the second half of LA’s 38-24 loss.
Quentin Johnston Has Been A Non-Factor In The Chargers’ Offense
Maybe Herbert and the Chargers were trying to kickoff National Tight Ends Day early by targeting Oronde Gadsen II early and often in their win over the Vikings on Thursday. Gadsen finished with five catches for 77 yards.
But Gadsen’s rise has led to Johnston’s fall from the LA offense, which does not bode well for the No. 10 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Johnston played just 52 percent of the Chargers snaps against Minnesota, due mainly to the run-heavy game script Los Angeles followed against the depleted Vikings defense.
Still, considering Johnston played 89 percent of LA’s snaps against the Colts, and Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey and Gadsen each had at least five targets, the third-year wideout may be getting phased out of Jim Harbaugh’s offense.
McConkey, Herbert’s No. 1 option, had six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Allen finished with four catches for 44 yards, as part of Herbert’s deathly efficient 18-for-25, 227-yard, three-touchdown performance.
Gadsen has 19 catches for 309 yards and two touchdowns over the past three games, which coincides with Johnston’s disappearance.
Johnston now has just 28 catches — one more than Gadsen — for 407 yards while playing in seven of LA’s eight games. His 58.1 yards per game is a career high, and he is on pace to surpass his single-season high of eight TDs he set in 2024.
Yet, suddenly trade rumors are swirling around the third-year wideout, since the deadline is next week and Johnston has hardly been a factor in LA’s offense over the past month.
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