The Los Angeles Chargers have added veteran free agent tight end David Njoku to their roster following a visit at the end of last week. Njoku will join a tight end room with Oronde Gadsden II and Charlie Kolar.
The Chargers had a need for an addition to the tight end room following the draft. By adding Njoku to the mix, the Chargers have solidified the room and created a well-rounded and deep group of players.
The Chargers will be ushering in a new offensive system with new coordinator Mike McDaniel. Let’s dig in and see why Njoku was a target to add for the Chargers and how he will fit in the new scheme.
Mike McDaniel, over the past few seasons as the play caller and head coach for the Miami Dolphins, has used multiple tight end sets frequently. These personnel groupings are commonly referred to as 12 or 22 personnel. When examining these numbers, the first number corresponds to the number of running backs on the field, and the second number identifies the number of tight ends.
The Dolphins used 12 personnel infrequently last season and came in 29th in total usage rate but they were effective when using the grouping with an EPA coming in tenth in the NFL. EPA or expected points added is an advanced analytics data point measuring the play’s impact on scoring, the higher the EPA, the greater the success.
By comparison, the Chargers also did not use 12 personnel very often in 2025 nor did they in 2024, coming in dead last in the usage rate both years. The Chargers have been relatively successful when using 12 personnel though, coming in 14th in EPA in 2024 and 18th and 2025.
The biggest difference for McDaniel and multiple tight end sets comes from 22 personnel. 22 personnel is where Njoku’s addition will see the biggest impact for the Chargers. In 2025 the Dolphins lived in 22 personnel and used it at the second highest rate in the NFL. They were also the most effective when using 22 personnel being first in EPA by a significant margin.
To put into perspective how effective Mike McDaniel was with the Dolphins out of 22 personnel, the league average for EPA out the formation was negative 0.06 while the Dolphins had an EPA of 19.9. The 2025 Chargers often used the formation as well, with the sixth-highest rate in the NFL. Los Angeles was relatively bad out of the formation with an EPA of negative 10.94.
Njoku fits into the equation because he is a very good receiving option as a tight end and is an athletic blocker. McDaniel had the Dolphins passing out of 22 personnel just under 43 percent of the time. 22 personnel is inherently a heavy run formation with two tight ends and a fullback. Passing out of this formation requires tight ends to be athletic enough to be both a receiving threat and capable of blocking.
This may be data overload with personnel groupings, usage rates and EPA metrics, but the bottom line is that Mike McDaniel uses two tight end sets at a very high rate compared to the rest of the NFL. Additionally, two tight end sets are historically used for running plays with more blockers on the field. Mike McDaniel will call passing plays out of heavier personnel at a very high comparative rate.
Adding veteran David Njoku to a room with Oronde Gadsen II and Charlie Kolar opens up the possibilities and combinations that Mike McDaniel can scheme up and get creative with when it comes to multiple tight end sets. Njoku will fit perfectly into the room and the Chargers new scheme.
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