The Chargers" Head Coach, Brandon Staley, shared five key takeaways during his press conference on Monday.
One major piece of news is that wide receiver Mike Williams will unfortunately miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, as confirmed by an MRI conducted on Monday.
Williams sustained the injury during the third quarter of the game against the Vikings, while making an 11-yard reception. So far this season, he has recorded 19 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown pass from Keenan Allen.
With Williams out, the team now needs to adjust and adapt to his absence. Coach Staley emphasized that this will be a collective effort by the entire team.
“Everyone is going to have to elevate their game," Staley said. “We"ve got a lot of good options on our team, obviously Quentin [Johnston] being the first guy that"s going to emerge in a bigger role. We"ve got Derius Davis, who has continued to develop and then that fifth spot is to be determined.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley on dealing with loss of Mike Williams: "Everyone is going to have to elevate their game. We have a lot of good options on our team — obviously, Quentin (Johnston), being the first guy that is going to emerge in a bigger role."https://t.co/beyr3IYV55 pic.twitter.com/7TJZPgReVu
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 27, 2023
“We know what we have in Josh [Palmer] and Keenan [Allen] and those guys were fantastic yesterday in the game.
You guys saw what Josh did last year when both Keenan and Mike were down," Staley added. “Everyone"s going to have to elevate their game and it"s not just the receiving group, it"s going to be the tight end group and running back group as well. Going to have to work through those adjustments here during the week to get ready for the Raiders."
One player who may be called upon to step up is Johnston, the Chargers" 2023 first-round pick. Although he has only played 48 offensive snaps in three games and has five catches for 26 yards, Staley shared that Johnston will now have an opportunity to contribute sooner than initially expected.
“We drafted Quentin with the belief in the player and the long-term vision," Stakey said. “Now he"s going to get an opportunity. And now you"re going to see more of him.
“All he needs to continue to do is what he"s done ever since he"s been here, which is continue to make progress on the field," Staley added. “Over time, he"s going to make more and more plays for us. We"re really happy with him but he"s going to get to shine in a bigger way now."
The Bolts are 1-2 and are now readying for the Raiders.
