4. Stephen Anderson
The LA Chargers selected Tre’ McKinney in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft in what was a surprising pick. While selecting a tight end was always going to happen, it was interesting who the Chargers selected, especially when they could have had Tommy Tremble one pick earlier.
Tremble would have been the start of the ideal third round for the Bolts, but I digress.
The Bolts now have a deep tight end room consisting of McKinney, Jared Cook, Donald Parham and Stephen Anderson. Out of the four tight ends, Anderson seems to be on the outside looking in despite having such a promising end to the season in Weeks 16 and 17 last year.
Cook and Parham are going to be the biggest pass-catchers. Cook is a vertical threat and Parham is an excellent red zone and short-yardage threat because of his size. He is likely going to see the biggest increase in playing time and targets from last season.
Anderson was the best blocker in a tight end room that was really flawed in blocking. Enter McKinney, who instantly becomes the best blocker in the room.
Whether or not he can develop into a legitimate passing target is yet to be seen, but we know he can be a solid blocking tight end at the very least. Anderson will still see some snaps, but unless McKinney is really green, Anderson is now the TE4 on the depth chart.
He is not going to be cut but he likely won’t get the playing time that he may have expected when he re-signed with the LA Chargers.