The only pass-catching weapon the LA Chargers signed the first week of free agency to bolster the offense was Mike Williams. On Friday, the Chargers made their second addition by signing former New York Jets tight end, Tyler Conklin.
Conklin will serve as a pass-catching tight end for the Chargers and slots in as a TE2 who will likely split snaps with Will Dissly. Dissly will be the blocking specialist in the tight end room while Conklin will serve as the pass-catching weapon.
Conklin has averaged over 500 receiving yards over the last four seasons. The former fifth-round pick caught 51 passes for 449 yards with four touchdowns (a career-high) in 2024.
Chargers find a pass-catching tight end, sign Tyler Conklin
Tight end was one of the Chargers' biggest roster holes heading into the offseason and this signing helps bolster the room. Conklin alone is not enough to turn the Chargers' tight end room into a menacing force, but he is enough to give the room some kind of juice in the passing game.
Dissly was never meant to be a primary weapon in the Chargers' passing game but he had to assume those duties late in the season due to injuries. While Dissly had some promising moments in the regular season, he flushed them all down the toilet with an awful showing in the NFL Playoffs.
This signing will allow Dissly to focus more on what he is good at, blocking, and less what he is bad at.
Conklin's spot as the team's TE2 is not locked down, though. More than anything, Conklin is serving as Colston Loveland insurance in case the promising Michigan tight end does not fall to the No. 22 pick. If Loveland does fall, Conklin would slide down the depth chart to TE3 and would be a situational target.
There is even a world in which Conklin loses a TE2 job to a mid-round tight end. There are several promising mid-round tight ends with pass-catching potential in this year's class. Conklin protects the Chargers from the variance of a mid-round tight end.
If a third-round tight end, like Elijah Arroyo, is ready for a prominent role in 2025 then Conklin slides down the depth chart. If he's not ready, Conklin is there as some kind of safeguard for the Chargers' offense.