The Los Angeles Chargers are heading into 2026 with a number of strong position groups.
Their wide receiver room, most notably, has major room to grow in 2026. With Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, Tre' Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and Brenen Thompson all at new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's disposal, big things should be expected out of the offense this year. The running back room has major room to grow as well, as long as Omarion Hampton can stay healthy.
But perhaps the Chargers' most intriguing position group, their tight ends, has been underdiscussed this offseason, at least in terms of the balance that McDaniel will look to strike between the incumbent Oronde Gadsden II and their two new additions, Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.
On the surface, the hierarchy is somewhat obvious. Gadsden will be the alpha, dynamic pass-catcher, while Njoku will take on blocking duties in 12-personnel sets and serve as a redzone threat. Kolar, as the tight end room's best blocker, will get his fair share of duties in both 12 and 13 personnel.
But Kolar, in his recent appearance on The Athletic Football Show, teased a dormant skill-set that could come to be a major factor for Los Angeles in 2026. He was utilized primarily as a pass-catcher during his time at Iowa State, and it's a facet of his game the Chargers may look to maximize this season.
Charlie Kolar could round out the tight end room perfectly if he can reclaim some of his pass-catching pedigree
Here's what Kolar had to say when asked about his market this offseason:
"I didn't have a lot of receiving tape [going into free agency]. I was just hoping that people saw that I could still do that. That's all I did in college. It's not like I forgot; we just had a really good room— a lot of mouths to feed in Baltimore." Charlie Kolar, The Athletic Football Show
Both of Kolar's statements, from a numbers standpoint, are true. Kolar saw just 15 targets in 2025, and he saw just 41 total over his four years with the Baltimore Ravens. But he was a major threat at Iowa State. In his senior season, Kolar amassed 62 receptions for 765 yards and six touchdowns. Coming into the league, he was seen as an adequate, if not refined, blocker and a capable pass-catcher.
Of course the Ravens, who also grabbed Isaiah Likely in addition to Kolar in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, carved out a different role for him over the course of his rookie contract.
But the Chargers gave Kolar a three-year, $24.3 million contract for a reason. While the emergence of Gadsden and the signing of Njoku likely mean that Kolar won't see an exponential increase in his target share, there's certainly room for him to take on more duties under McDaniel's offense.
Heavy personnel sets, of course, work best when you have multiple capable blockers in your tight end room. The Chargers do, especially if Gadsden can improve in his sophomore campaign. But the threat is doubled, especially for a creative offensive coordinator, when there are multiple dual-threat tight ends available.
If Kolar can regain some of his pass-catching pedigree from his college days, primarily as a possession receiver in the middle of the field, don't put it past McDaniel to incorporate it into the offense from time to time.
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