Chargers signing Keenan Allen creates leverage to execute suggested roster move

The Los Angeles Chargers made the long-awaited move to bring back wide receiver Keenan Allen this week and it is opening up several possibilities for the offense. It also opened the possibility of some incredible team records to be broken. 

Allen may be 33 years old, but he can still play as evidenced by the 70 receptions he made for the Bears last season after being traded to Chicago last spring. When the Chargers need to have a play, Justin Herbert will likely look in the direction of Allen first. 

Allen's presence also shakes up the depth chart and should force the team to look at the wide receiver room much differently than it did before. One of the first questions that should be asked surrounds former first-round pick Quentin Johnston. 

Does he still belong in Los Angeles?

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes he is now expendable. There are likely droves of Chargers fans who would agree. Here is what Knox had to say:

"Two years ago, the Los Angeles Chargers used a first-round pick on wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite played up to his draft status.

The TCU product got a prime opportunity to emerge last season after the Chargers parted with both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. He had respectable numbers (55 catches, 711 yards, 8 TDs) but wasn't particularly dependable. He caught just 60.4 percent of his targets and was credited with seven drops.

After the Chargers brought back Allen, Johnston may be without a role. Ladd McConkey emerged as Justin Herbert's top target last season, and L.A. used a second-round pick on Mississippi's Tre Harris. It may also have found a gem in fifth-round rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who caught two passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game.

If Johnston does appear to be trending toward a backup role, the Chargers should make him available while he still has some trade value. L.A. isn't going to recoup its first-round pick, but a former first-round pick on a rookie contract would generate interest".

Allen changes everything for this Chargers team. They now have depth and experience as well as a player who has done it with Herbert before. Signing him was like adding two wide receivers to the roster. 

READ: Antonio Gates makes history after entering Hall of Fame that won't be duplicated

With Allen, Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris, Derius Davis and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Herbert has a plethora of good options to get the ball to and being around Allen is going to make all of those players better. 

Looks like Quentin Johnston finally has it figured out 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nmGKSBN3iu

Johnston fits on the opposite side of the spectrum. He has limited abilities as a wide receiver and there is a chance the Chargers have seen his ceiling. If the team can get any kind of value in a return, such as a third or fourth-round pick for a team in need of a wide receiver, this would be a good move for the front office to make. 

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