The Los Angeles Chargers have an exciting season ahead of them that is filled with high expectations. After failing to live up to their goals last year, plus a devastating collapse in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chargers got an earlier start to the NFL offseason than they would have hoped. While 2023 NFL training camp and preseason is in full swing, expectations have come right back to Los Angeles as the Chargers are looking to compete for the AFC West crown this year. Of course the division will be a tough one with the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs, while both the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders are looking to have bounce back years after rough campaigns last season. Nevertheless, the Chargers definitely have the talent to compete for the division. Pretty much all of their expectations this year will rest on the shoulders of Justin Herbert coming off of a freshly minted contract. However, there are two players in training camp who are seeing their stock skyrocket during preseason and could end up being difference makers this year as well. These two players are Quentin Johnston and Chris Rumph.

Quentin Johnston was drafted by the Chargers in the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this year and joins a very talented wide receiving corps in Los Angeles. Despite the presence of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer, Johnston figures to be a major part of the Chargers offense this year and is rumored to be having a great training camp so far. Meanwhile, Chris Rumph also plays at a stacked outside linebacker position for the Chargers where they have guys like Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Still, a strong training camp and opening preseason game so far has Rumph being talked about ad nauseam out of Los Angeles. Out of all of the players on the Chargers roster, these two guys are making a strong case of being higher ups on the depth chart come the start of the regular season. With the second preseason game right around the corner for the Chargers, both Quentin Johnston and Chris Rumph are seeing their stock climb at an exponential rate.

*Depth Chart via ESPN

Chris Rumph

In the Chargers opening preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, Chris Rumph started the game and was in on 11 plays. In those 11 plays, Rumph had a sack, a tackle in the backfield on a run play, and was just inches away from getting another sack. Rumph carried the momentum from his strong preseason opener into training camp this week and was making highlight plays one after the other. With Mack and Bosa on the depth chart ahead of him, Rumph will get plenty of run in the rest of preseason to prove he needs some playing time. If he keeps it up, he will separate himself from the rest of the Chargers linebackers on the roster as a key rusher behind Mack and Bosa on the depth chart.

Chris Rumph is entering his third year in the NFL, and after a pretty mediocre pair of seasons to start his career, all signs point to year three being his breakout campaign. He has a combined three sacks in his first two seasons, but with almost two sacks through 11 snaps in the preseason, he figures to shatter that number this year. Not to mention, he will be an absolutely massive asset for the Chargers to have in order to spell Mack and Bosa. Opposing offensive lines will be in fits if they have to deal with a menacing Rumph after already having to cope with Pro Bowl caliber players like Mack and Bosa. Rumph will have to keep it up, but he is definitely a player on the Chargers roster whose stock is rising quickly amid the preseason.

Quentin Johnston

Some were surprised to see the Chargers take Quentin Johnston in the 2023 NFL Draft given the already solid state of their wide receiving corps. However, with the training camp he is reportedly having and a preseason touchdown already under his belt, it is starting to look like the Chargers made the right decision. Updates out of Chargers training camp consistently indicate that his size and strength has been a problem for defenders on the roster, and Justin Herbert has been taking advantage. Herbert himself has praised Johnston for quickly asserting himself and showing why he was a first round pick, and Herbert believes that he can be a true asset in his rookie season. With a quarterback like Herbert throwing him the ball, it comes as no surprise that Quentin Johnston's stock is climbing at training camp.

If Johnson can turn into the player that the Chargers expect him to be, Los Angeles will probably have the most dangerous wide receiving corps in the NFL. This has a lot to do with the fact that Herbert is their quarterback, but either way this group is going to keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are All-Pro talents, while Joshua Palmer burst onto the scene last year during injury absences to Allen and Williams. Adding a rookie like Johnston to this group makes them absolutely lethal, especially if he fulfills his potential. By all accounts, Johnston is on that trajectory, as his stock continues to ascend on a daily basis while the Chargers preseason continues.