The Los Angeles Chargers already have their fair share of well-chronicled roster battles.
Of course, we won't know how these battles are truly shaping up until the conclusion of mandatory mini-camp on June 18. But we do know that there will, at the very least, be friction between edge rushers like Nadame Tucker, Bud Dupree, and Kyle Kennard and guards Kayode Awosika, Trevor Penning, and Jake Slaughter. These two position battles have taken the majority of the attention through OTAs, and rightfully so. There's significant room at the positions for changes on the depth chart.
At many other places on the Chargers' roster, things are more set in stone. Los Angeles likely has its starters set along the rest of the offensive line and, on the whole, across most of the offense. At tight end, for example, their offseason additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku have left their starting trio, including Oronde Gadsden II, as an undebatable fact of the roster.
But at the end of OTAs, there are still three UDFA tight ends competing for a roster spot— Evan Svoboda (Wyoming), Jerand Bradley (Kansas State), and Johnny Pascuzzi (Tulane). Although it's unlikely that any earns a significant snap-share within the offense this season, there could certainly be a roster spot available to one of them.
The competition between the trio could turn out to be an under-the-radar offseason storyline.
Chargers may be willing to open up a fourth roster spot to a tight end. Who would have the best shot at earning it?
The tight end room was not one of the highlights of the Los Angeles roster last season. Beyond Gadsden, they saw very little offensive production and a relatively small snap share. But the Chargers did carry four tight ends through most of 2025— Gadsden, Will Dissly, Tucker Fisk, and Tyler Conklin.
While Dissly saw inconsistent playing time and Fisk was used primarily as an in-line blocking presence, Conklin carved out a role as a special teams contributor. Although Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku will likely have the entire offensive workload covered in 2026, there's a chance that one of these three UDFAs could earn a role similar to Conklin's.
Let's start with Svoboda. A converted quarterback, the 23-year-old started nine games under center for Wyoming last season. Despite the positional switch, he's got real upside as a blocker and the size to match it. The Chargers list him at 6-5 and 251 lbs.
Bradley also poses an intriguing skill-set, however. Across five seasons between Texas Tech, Boston College, and Kansas State, Bradley was primarily used as an outside receiver, seeing limited targets in almost every offense he worked in. But he did show upside as a pass-catcher during his time at Texas Tech, posting 51 receptions for 744 yards across 12 games as a sophomore. The Chargers have him listed as a tight end heading into mini-camp.
Pascuzzi is a solid mix between the two skill-sets. At 6-4 and 224 lbs, he's missing some size against a prospect like Svoboda. But he has extensive experience at the tight end position, having spent all four seasons of his college career between Iowa and Tulane there. He set his single-season high with 12 catches in 2025 at Tulane, so it's not likely there's a ton to be unlocked there as a pass-catcher. But he has the solid, all-around skill-set that could help him appeal to Los Angeles as a depth piece.
Given the decisions the Chargers still need to make along the offensive line, one of these UDFAs will need to earn their roster spot as a fourth tight end. But if Los Angeles ultimately wants to carry some additional flexibility at the position, watch for this battle to get ruthless between now and training camp.
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