With the Chargers recently bringing in free agent David Njoku, some speculation has pointed towards breakout star Gadsden losing his spot at the top of the depth chart to the more experienced and better blocking vet. However, when looking at this team as a whole, that couldn't be further from the truth. Bringing in this veteran addition will not only serve to bolster Gadsden's position on the depth chart, but also his role as a premier pass catcher on the team.
Last season, Gadsden posted an impressive 664 yards, standing out among rookie tight ends as a late-round surprise in a class full of pass-catching talents. While other young tight ends have been breaking out in their rookie years, defenses across the league have started keying in on this, and regression often follows suit. Some might say Gadsden is due for regression, having gone for 13.6 yards/reception last year, and while this particular ratio might decline, Gadsden's other numbers will have the chance to flourish in a new offense, especially one that uses motion and tight ends like McDaniel's.
David Njoku's presence could actually be a major boon for Oronde Gadsden II
In a McDaniel offense, the focus on heavier personnel and motion is expected at an even greater level than a typical modern offense in the contemporary NFL. The recent Draft and free agency moves the front office have made key towards this trend further. However, Gadsden will almost certainly not be sliding into a flanking role alongside the line for his blocking ability, which was one of the weaker aspects of his game. As a converted wide receiver, the primary focus of his game was on being a pass-catching threat in the middle of the field, and it's expected he'll have to be working on his blocking at an NFL level even more this offseason if he wants these potential successes to manifest.
Across the league, heavy personnel trending up has led to innovation in the backfield and along the line for the premier offensive coaches of the league, such as McVay and Shanahan. However, Mike McDaniel might have shown one of the most impressive utilizations of a gadget-like tight end with his usage of Jonnu Smith during the Dolphins' 2024 campaign, propelling the pass-catching threat to a Pro Bowl with a rotating crew of quarterbacks feeding him the ball.
While Jonnu Smith saw himself making a Pro Bowl in Miami, he only saw the field on 55% of the team's offensive snaps, and the team regularly rotated between three tight ends. Smith regularly saw throws and motion underneath and outside, and was used less as a prototypical tight end and more as a gadget, all-round pass-catching threat who could capably block at all levels of the field. If McDaniel wanted to revive this position, and bring heavy 13 personnel sets to the Chargers' offense, Njoku would not be the free agent to sign to move into this role.
Plagued with knee injuries last year, and having faced time on the injured reserve in half of his played seasons, the veteran has slowed considerably in his past two years on the field and become much more notable for sure hands and a blocking presence than as a potential motion threat.
Gadsden, on the other hand, brings size and impact, and could see many snaps out of the slot or the backfield in this new McDaniel offense. In addition, and more importantly, with a quarterback like Herbert behind the line, McDaniel can implement longer-developing plays with multi-level motion to utilize Gadsden's speed and size without considering the difficulties he might face with acceleration out of the slot or against press-man coverage.
Njoku's signing certainly isn't a threat to Gadsden's role on the team primarily as a pass-catcher, and can only help Gadsden in blocking and alignment. While Gadsden may initially see reduced usage and snap count, he will almost certainly see higher efficiency time on the field, and if McDaniel is able to properly squeeze the 22-year-old, an early Pro Bowl could be in the works.
All in all, the Njoku signing should read for fans of the Chargers not as a Gadsden replacement, but rather an auxiliary to the young player who will elevate his play. At worst, the Chargers will have two solid options to put on the field and not enough snaps for both of them.
In a league where 12 personnel has become more and more prevalent, and injuries can put players out for weeks, there are far worse problems to be had. If McDaniel can return to his status as an elite offensive playcaller and schemer, the Njoku signing might be what we point to when asking how Gadsden made his first Pro Bowl.
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