Gadsden nets 2/21, plays 3 drives against Texans

This isn’t the first time Popper has hyped up Kolar this offseason. In May, Popper said he saw Kolar as the team’s “TE1 because of his complete skill set.” As Popper points out in his most recent article at The Athletic, Kolar “has a ton of untapped potential as a pass catcher,” and spent the first four years of his career playing behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Kolar has a career receiving line of 30-409-4, and has never caught more than 10 passes in a season. There’s no reason to rush to make him a part of your draft plans at this point, but Popper’s belief that Kolar is primed to surpass his career-best single season numbers is worth keeping in mind once training camp begins.

The Chargers signed Kolar and David Njoku in the offseason, adding them to a tight end room containing Oronde Gadsden. Popper mentions Njoku and Gadsden both “impact the game more as receivers than blockers.” Kolar is the best run blocker among the trio with pass-catching upside, finishing last season with 10 receptions for 142 yards behind Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews with the Ravens. All three are capable pass-catchers and allows the Chargers to use three-tight-end sets, something Popper said the team was testing out in practice Wednesday. Njoku and Gadsden will likely have more fantasy relevancy as pass-catchers but Popper believes Kolar’s “complete skill set” can make him the TE1 in Mike McDaniel’s offense.

Rhim caveats the thought by adding that increased tight end usage “is not a guarantee.” The key takeaway for second-year TE Oronde Gadsden is that Rhim thinks recent free agent signee, TE David Njoku, could take on the TE1 role, noting Njoku possesses “valuable experience that a guy like Gadsden can learn from.” That said, in a piece where Rhim highlighted the tight end position’s importance in the new scheme, he referenced only Gadsden and Njoku, seemingly indicating this is a two-player race for the TE1 job. Njoku’s play has declined recently, as has his health. Gadsden might currently be the TE2, but we have to get through spring and summer practices first.

Rhim specifically cites former Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith, who posted an 88/886/8 receiving line, while totaling 505 yards after the catch under McDaniel in 2024. McDaniel and TEs coach Chandler Henley plan to create a “run-pass conflict” for opposing defenses, which starts at the tight end position. The offense will expectedly use two-tight end sets often. Rhim notes that Njoku, 29, has “been one of the league’s best tight ends at yards after catch for the past decade,” although he “is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro” and has been bothered by lower-body injuries recently. Whether Njoku has enough left in the tank to handle TE1 duties remains to be seen. It is worth noting that Rhim never once mentioned TE Charlie Kolar in the article, suggesting he is stuck in the TE3 spot behind Njoku and second-year TE Oronde Gadsden.

A week after visiting with the Chargers, Njoku is now set to join them on a deal that is worth up to $8 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 29-year-old tight end had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, as injuries and the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin resulted in Njoku catching just 33 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Injuries have slowed Njoku each of the last two seasons. He’s appeared in just 23 of a possible 34 regular-season games over that span and has averaged 8.9 YPR or fewer in both seasons. However, if he can stay healthy, he should provide another reliable weapon for Justin Herbert in the passing game. His arrival could have a negative impact on Oronde Gadsden, but given both tight ends’ ability to line up both in-line and in the slot, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers ran more two-tight-end sets

Njoku met with the Ravens two weeks ago but has drawn seemingly little interest on the free agent market, with teams content to wait until after the draft to kick the tires on the soon-to-be 30-year-old tight end. The Chargers appear to be set at the position, with breakout youngster Oronde Gadsden joined by offseason acquisition Charlie Kolar, the latter of whom has made a career of his blocking chops. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel hardly utilized 13-personnel during his time in Miami, instead ranking near the top of the league in 11-personnel alignments. One would think that would be unlikely to change drastically considering the state of the roster in Los Angeles, making the visit a difficult one to get a true read on for fantasy purposes.

Delp last week made pre-draft visits with the Vikings, Patriots, and Ravens. Delp at Georgia was a little-used tight end who totaled 65 receptions for 793 yards and seven touchdowns over his final three collegiate seasons. He was targeted on a meager 13 percent of his pass routes over those three years. Delp, 23, profiles as a rotational tight end to start his NFL career, though he has some upside if he lands in the right spot. In LA he would compete with Oronde Gadsden II for tight end snaps and routes, and in Tampa he would compete with Cade Otton, who recently re-signed with the Bucs.

The Chargers have used free agency to stockpile players custom made for McDaniel’s Shanahan-style offense, including fullback Alex Ingold and tight end Charlie Kolar. Popper describes Kolar as “an elite run blocker who is an ideal fit in McDaniel’s movement offense” who “will allow Oronde Gadsden to play in a role that maximizes the 2025 fifth-round pick’s receiving skill set.” Gadsden was a welcome surprise in fantasy circles last season, totaling 664 yards and three touchdowns on 49 receptions. He ranked 14th among 50 qualifying tight ends in yards per route run, in line with Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin. If he runs 60 or 70 percent of the Chargers’ routes in 2026, Gadsden could be a tight end to target late in drafts.

Njoku was released by the Browns as the new league year began, designated as a post-June 1st cut. The 29-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career in Cleveland, making a Pro Bowl in 2023 when he caught 81-of-123 targets for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Njoku played in 12 games last season as Harold Fannin Jr. slowly took over, catching 33-of-48 targets for 293 yards and four touchdowns. The Ravens are in the market for a receiving tight end after Isaiah Likely departed for the Giants. Njoku would fit into a limited role between Mark Andrews and newly-signed blocking tight end Durham Smythe if he lands in Baltimore.

Njoku was designated as a post-June 1st release, spreading out his dead cap hit over two years. The news doesn’t come as a surprise. Njoku posted a heartfelt goodbye just after the season ended, so it was only a matter of paperwork for the Browns. The age-29 tight end is now looking for a new home for the first time in his NFL career. Njoku caught three passes for 293 yards and four scores in 2025. He was passed on the depth chart by Harold Fannin Jr. and missed time late in the year with a knee issue. Plenty of teams will be interested in signing him, though likely as a rotational player at this point in his career. Njoku is unlikely to put up TE1 numbers in 2026, no matter where he lands.