Chargers lost Diontae Johnson to Texans on unbelievable technicality

There was some confusion on the waiver wire this week as the Los Angeles Chargers missed out after putting in a claim on former Baltimore Ravens wideout Diontae Johnson.

Turns out the Chargers missed Johnson by the smallest of little details in the waiver wire order.

According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, since the Chargers and Texans were both 9-6, the tiebreaker to get awarded Johnson came down to opponent strength of schedule. ESPN’s Field Yates confirmed this.

Meaning this, via Popper:

HOU SOS: .4911 (110-114 cumulative record)
LAC SOS: .5089 (114-110 cumulative record)

The Texans landed Johnson because they technically have a lower winning percentage in this area.

This one hurts. Controversy around Johnson’s exit in Baltimore or not, it’s clear the Chargers were ready to get Justin Herbert some late-season help. They were the only other team to put in a claim and take that risk. Instead, a Texans team that just lost Tank Dell gets him and the Chargers are left hoping that DJ Chark can actually break onto the field.

If nothing else, at least, this once again shows the Chargers fully understand wideout is a major need going into next season.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Chargers from Los Angeles Chargers on SI —