This past season, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert overcame 54 sacks and managed to throw for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns. He connected with nine different players for those scores, led by wide receivers Quentin Johnston (8) and Ladd McConkey (6). The vast majority went to wideouts (20), followed by running backs/fullbacks (3) and tight ends (3).
TE Oronde Gadsden III was a fifth-round find in 2025
By the way, all of those scoring connections to the latter position went to one player. The Chargers used a fifth-round pick a year ago on Syracuse University standout Oronde Gadsden II. He proved to be a very reliable option, snarking 49 passes on 69 targets in 15 games (7 starts)—an impressive 71.0 catch percentage.
It added up to 664 yards (13.6 average) and those aforementioned three trips to the end zone. Gadsden added three catches for 30 yards in the disheartening playoff loss at Foxborough.
Chargers now have a very versatile tight end room
On Monday, the Chargers added nine-year pro David Njoku to the roster. He joins a tight end room that obviously includes Gadsden, as well as newcomer Charlie Kolar—formerly with the Baltimore Ravens. Njoku would actually be the seventh tight end on the roster, which includes undrafted rookies Evan Svoboda (Wyoming) and Jerand Bradley (Texas Tech).
The focus here is on the trifecta of the Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku. Let’s use 2025 as an example. Gadsden’s season saw him score three touchdowns in 16 total outings. Kolar found paydirt only twice in 17 contests. Finally, Njoku was limited to a dozen games and still reached the end zone four times.
“Njoku’s ability as a pass catcher was needed in the offense behind Gadsden,” offered NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, “after Los Angeles attempted to use blocking TEs in that receiving role the past few seasons to little success. The tight end’s ability to win in space, particularly the red zone, should be a boon to Herbert and the rest of the offense.”
New Chargers’ TE David Njoku knows his way to the end zone
After being named to his first and only Pro Bowl in 2023 in a season in which he amassed career highs in targets (123), catches (81), receiving yards (882) and TD grabs (6) in 16 outings, Njoku has played in a combined 23 games the past two seasons. It adds up to 97 receptions, 798 yards and nine scores despite a disappointing 8.2 yards per catch.
And that’s where Gadsden comes in. He’s already proven to be a viable downfield target. Combine that with the blocking prowess of Kolar and Njoku’s nose for the end zone and both offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Herbert have quite the versatile trio at the position.
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