Joshua Palmer gets candid about life at Chargers without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams

Los Angeles Chargers are starting their new era under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Joshua Palmer gets candid about life at Chargers without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams

Joshua Palmer opens up about life without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (Image via Imago)

The Los Angeles Chargers are about to start their next era under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. The excitement is definitely within the ranks of the franchise. However, with any new coaching change comes a change in philosophy. The new philosophy has seen a few key players leave. Most notable among them are Pro-Bowl wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. The loss of those two has hit Joshua Palmer the most.

The fourth-year receiver sat down with Eric Smith for a Q&A session which was published on the team’s website. During the interview, Smith asked Palmer what it felt to go into this offseason without his former receiver friends. In response, Palmer mentioned things being different in their absence.

It was definitely different for me and I can only speak for myself. Definitely different when you're used to having your two best friends out there and now they are not. But they're nothing but a phone call away and I'm ready to move forward. I was a little sad because they were my good friends and I looked up to Keenan and Mike. From a football standpoint, it's a business.
Joshua Palmer said

Joshua Palmer mentioned looking up to the pair of Pro-Bowl wide receivers for their craft. More importantly, they were his friends who have now joined different teams.

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Keenan Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears in the off-season. After 11 seasons and 6 1000+ yard seasons, the Chargers decided to move on from their most prolific wideout. They cannot be blamed as Allen is 32 years old and is moving towards the end of his career.

On the other hand, Mike Williams spent almost all of last season on the Injured Reserve list. He signed with the New York Jets this off-season after the Chargers released him.

Joshua Palmer to start for Chargers

With Keenan Allen and Mike Williams gone, the Los Angeles Chargers were expected to draft a wide receiver. Instead, they drafted tackle Joe Alt. They did sign free agent D.J. Chark, but other than him, they do not have another top-level receiver. Which means, it is Joshua Palmer’s time to shine.

Los Angeles Chargers let go of both their Pro-Bowl level receivers this off-season
Los Angeles Chargers let go of both their Pro-Bowl level receivers this off-season (image via Open Source/X)

The receiver did well to fill in for Mike Williams last season, though injuries did show a decline in his stats. But the season before that, he notched up 769 yards after starting 11 games. Now he will be WR2 on the depth chart behind D.J. Chark and will get an opportunity to take on the mantle as their next elite receiver.

The former third round pick will have an increased responsibility on his shoulders heading into the new season. If he stays healthy, he can lead the wide receiver room into the new era under Jim Harbaugh.

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