CHARLOTTE -- The feelings crept in, slowly, menacingly. Quentin Johnston is human, after all. Down the stretch of last season and into the offseason, the criticism -- some of it warranted, some of it not -- was unavoidable. Even in quiet moments.
"You want to hop on Instagram or do whatever, everybody's talking about you," Johnston said. "Everybody is talking bad about you."
Johnston's rookie season was rocky. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted the receiver out of TCU in the first round. It became evident quickly that Johnston's game was not yet refined enough for the next level. There was no lower moment than his crunch-time drop in a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11. What Johnston called a "disappointment in myself" was only compounded and reinforced by the external noise.
"You see that type of stuff from the middle of the season last year all the way up until you get a chance to prove yourself again," Johnston said. "That's always there, just in front of your face. You can't run from it. You can't really do anything but keep working. Go through it and then work to prove everybody wrong."
Two games into his second season, Johnston is on his way to proving he has a bright future in the NFL.
Johnston had the most impactful game of his career in Sunday's blowout win over the Carolina Panthers. He led the Chargers with five catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Johnston had two touchdown catches all of last season. Through two weeks, he leads the Chargers in receptions, receiving yards and yards per target.
Johnston's first touchdown of the game -- a 29-yarder on the opening drive -- was a clear indication of the strides he has made. Quarterback Justin Herbert was in shotgun formation. Johnston was isolated to the left side. Cornerback Jaycee Horn, a top-10 pick in 2021, was aligned in press-man converge on Johnston.
The play call had an alert "built in," according to Herbert. If Horn was in press-man on Johnston, then Johnston would scrap his in-breaking route and instead run a backside fade. Effectively a go route down the sideline.
Herbert and Johnston were aligned on the alert based on the Panthers' pre-snap look.
"We're going to give this guy a shot," Herbert remembered thinking. "It's going to be a 50-50 ball, but with Q, we believe that the odds are titled in our favor."
Herbert took the snap. Johnston set up Horn with a stutter-step release. Then he took off, creating separation with a burst of acceleration to the outside. Panthers safety Xavier Woods rotated into the box, leaving only one safety, Jordan Fuller, in the deep part of the field. Johnston's outside release kept Fuller out of the play.
Herbert floated a pass to the goal line. Johnston made the adjustment, beating Horn to the inside. And he hauled in the touchdown grab.
"Justin just threw an amazing ball," Johnston said. "A quarterback like that that has trust in me, that means everything."
Johnston's releases are sharper, more sudden and more diverse. His route running is tighter and more deceptive. His hands are markedly improved. Not where they need to be yet. He had a drop on a third down near the sideline in Week 1. But improved, without question.
On a third down late in the third quarter Sunday, Herbert escaped pressure to his right. Johnston initially ran a shallow comeback route to the left. But he moved with Herbert and found space in the scramble drill. Herbert threw to Johnston. The ball was tipped at the line. Johnston made the catch despite the pass changing course.
On a crossing route in Week 1, Johnston made another really good catch. Herbert fired a missile onto his back shoulder. Johnston snagged it before immediately evading a linebacker. He turned what should have been a short gain into an explosive first-down reception.
"He continues to make these tough catches across the middle," said head coach Jim Harbaugh. "Not many people do that, when there's just a heavy ball lasered right on you in traffic."
Since early in the offseason, Harbaugh has asked the right question about Johnston.
Harbaugh and the offensive staff, most notably receivers coach Sanjay Lal, have put together a coherent plan for Johnston through two games.
Johnston is at his best in yards-after-the-catch situations. When Johnston gets the ball on the move, his first-round traits come alive.
Last season, Johnston ran post routes or go routes on 35.5 percent of his routes, according to TruMedia. Through two games in 2024, that rate has dropped to 21.4 percent.
Meanwhile, his rate of crossing routes has increased from 9.9 percent to 19 percent.
Johnston has 41 yards after the catch through two games, according to TruMedia. He is on pace for nearly 350 yards after the catch for the season. Last season, Johnston finished with 152 yards after the catch.
The Chargers are putting Johnston in positions where he can best utilize his skill set. His confidence is growing. And now he is making plays in other areas, as evidenced by his deep-ball touchdown against the Panthers.
"Nobody I'm more excited for than Quentin Johnston," Harbaugh said. "Everybody on the team really likes Q, loves him, respects him, probably most of all because he's kind of been picked on by a lot people. It doesn't faze him. He just keeps doing him, and he works on stuff that he needs to get better at. Most important part, he doesn't ever get the big head."
Johnston looked like an improved player in training camp. There was a clip of one drop that made the rounds on social media. But day-to-day, his game looked far more polished.
"Everything you're seeing from the first two games and then going through the rest of the season is just a testament to my work," Johnston said.
This week, Johnston can check Instagram and see highlights.
"Just keep doing you, Q," Harbaugh said. "It's working."