Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has posted three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, solidifying himself as one of the best players at his position.
Only three times in his career since 2013 has Allen failed to reach that mark. They came in 2014, 2015 and 2016, all years where he was unable to play a full 16-game slate due to injuries.
One of the reasons why Allen has had a lot of success throughout the years was because of the quarterbacks who distributed the wealth to him: Philip Rivers. Even with the change at the position, Pro Football Focus believes that the former Cal product will finish with 1,080 yards in 2020.
Allen is a beacon of consistency currently riding a three-year streak of 1,000 yards. He has 101 catches of 15-plus yards since 2017 (third-most), behind only Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins. His injury year notwithstanding, Allen has averaged over 2.0 yards per route run in every season since 2015. Widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best route-runners, Allen would be in the lock category if it were not for the departure of Philip Rivers.
There’s certainly a couple of reasons to believe that Allen could experience a downtick in production this upcoming season.
First, since Allen entered the league in 2013, Rivers ranks seventh in yards per attempt, 11th in touchdown rate and 12th in completion rate among quarterbacks with 500-plus attempts, per Athlon Sports.
Secondly, the Chargers are expected to shift to more of a run-heavy offense, which could take away some of his target share.
Despite, the uncertainty at the quarterback position with either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert, Allen, one of the league’s best route-runners, should do what he does best by getting open consistently, leaving an underneath option for either signal-caller.
Entering the final year of his contract, Allen is hungry for an extension with Los Angeles or possibly a big check from another team (if he isn’t re-signed). Knowing that’s on the line, look for the 28-year old to flourish in 2020.