In a new NFL.com article, media members selected one “underappreciated” player from each of the league’s 32 teams. For the Chargers, a spotlight was put on wide receiver Josh Palmer heading into his fourth year.
His section of the article reads like this:
After taking over a cap-strapped roster this January, Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz decided to create financial flexibility by gutting the receiver room. In the absence of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who will emerge as Justin Herbert’s downfield target? Last year’s first-round pick, Quentin Johnston, left a lot to be desired in Year 1. This year’s second-round pick, Ladd McConkey, looks like he’ll do most of his work from the slot. So, when the Bolts’ cannon-arm quarterback wants to cut it loose, who’ll test the defense on the perimeter? It seems like a lot of people are forgetting about Palmer, possibly due to his injury-riddled 2023 campaign. The fourth-year pro already has a nice rapport with Herbert — as we saw in a handful of 100-yard outings over the past two seasons — and he possesses the most well-rounded, polished game in this receiving corps.
Palmer enters the final year of his rookie contract after racking up around 1,700 yards and nine touchdowns in his first three seasons. Injuries have been a concern for Palmer, particularly in 2023, as he dealt with a nagging knee sprain for most of the year.
However, the former Tennessee product has not always had a stable situation in the wide receiver room around him. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missed significant time in Palmer’s 2022 season, where he was forced into a more prominent role early. The same could be said for 2023 when Williams tore his ACL in week 3. What has always been consistent is his connection with Justin Herbert, as mentioned in the article. Palmer was almost certainly headed for a career-high in receiving yards last year without the injuries.
With the Chargers lacking true prototypical X-receiver talent, Palmer will probably be the player asked to step up the most in that role after the Williams and Allen departures.