The Los Angeles Chargers’ updated depth chart for Sept. 8, 2026, brought one big surprise before their Week 1 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals: Oronde Gadsden II is listed third at tight end.
That’s a jarring spot for a player who looked like a fast riser just one year ago. The 2025 fifth-round pick didn’t play like a typical Day 3 rookie at all, piling up 664 yards and three touchdowns while quickly overtaking veterans Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin to become the Bolts’ TE1.
Given that kind of rookie production, the expectation around Gadsden II was simple - even if the Chargers wanted to lean into a more balanced tight end room, he seemed positioned to hold at least a 1B role. His receiving chops were never the question. His blocking was.
That part of the equation appears to have mattered a lot in the current pecking order. The Chargers added Charlie Kolar and David Njoku in the offseason, with the idea that both could help deepen the room and also help Gadsden II develop the finer points of the position, especially in blocking. Instead, they’ve moved ahead of him.
A quiet offseason hasn’t helped Gadsden II’s case. Reports have said he hasn’t flashed much in camp, and his preseason line in 2026 did little to change the conversation: four catches for 45 yards on six targets across three games.
The coaching shift may also matter here. Mike McDaniel has long been associated with tight ends who bring speed and receiving juice, but that approach may look different now with the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh. In this group, Gadsden II is considered the weakest blocker, with Njoku the only other tight end who can even make a case in that conversation.
What happens next for Gadsden II will come down to whether he can seize his chances once the games count. He already climbed from nowhere to the top of the depth chart once before, and now the challenge is doing it again in his second season. If anyone can work his way back, it’s the same player who forced his way into a bigger role as a rookie in a rough 2025 offense.
In Other News...
Chargers Add Intriguing Week 1 Depth With One Familiar Connection
As the Chargers turn the page toward their Sept. 13 opener against the Cardinals, the team has quietly reshaped the back end of its roster with a series of practice squad moves. Cornerback Isas Waxter is back in the fold, while wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. and tight end Patrick Herbert have also been added, giving Los Angeles a little more depth as the regular season approaches and the staff sorts out its weekly options.
Herberts arrival brings a familiar name into a room that always seems to value versatile tight ends, and it adds another layer to the usual early-season churn around the practice squad. The Chargers have spent plenty of recent time balancing immediate depth with longer-term development, and these kinds of moves often hint at how a team wants to protect itself before the games start counting, especially with a Week 1 matchup already on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Camp Hit Sparked The Kind Of Broncos Reaction Fans Notice
Training camp can turn routine reps into instant talking points, and the Broncos got one of those moments when defensive tackle Malcolm Roach put a sack on Bo Nix during a recent session. Roach quickly clarified that the hit was not intentional and said he was not involved in the fights that followed, but in camp, even a single snap like that tends to linger because it says something about the edge a defense is bringing.
For Chargers fans keeping an eye on the AFC West, it is the sort of flashpoint that matters less for the box score than for the tone it sets around a rival. The Broncos are still sorting through camp intensity and the emotions that come with it, while Kansas City is dealing with its own preseason uncertainty after Andy Reid updated the Week 1 status of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Simmons, Kahlil Benson, Rashee Rice, Chamarri Conner and Alohi Gilman, leaving several key availabilities unresolved as the opener approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Get An Early Week 1 Message Oddsmakers Rarely Send
The NFLs opening week usually brings a full slate of cautious optimism, but this years board has a different feel, with several matchups priced tightly and only a handful carrying a spread of a touchdown or more. The league will kick off with two standalone primetime games, including its first-ever trip to Australia for the Rams and 49ers, while the Bengals and Buccaneers stand out with the weeks highest projected total.
For the Chargers, the early read from oddsmakers is already notable. Arizona is sitting as a 9.5-point underdog in the matchup, a sign that Los Angeles is being treated like one of the leagues more lopsided favorites in Week 1. Evan Abrams pointed out the bigger historical wrinkle too, noting the Chargers are the first double-digit Week 1 favorite since 2019, a rare kind of status for an opener that usually keeps everyone guessing. [Read more 🡒]