Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh had a lot of great things to say about rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II's NFL debut from last Sunday.
The Syracuse product was a healthy scratch in the team's first two games, but was forced into the spotlight due to an injury to Will Dissly. Gadsden had five catches for 46 yards, including two on the game-winning drive to help set up Cameron Dicker's field goal attempt.
The performance ultimately prompted the question of what Gadsden's usage will be going forward. The Chargers generally haven't kept all four of their tight ends active on gameday. They may not need to make a tough decision on playing time this week, though, as Will Dissly did not practice on Wednesday with a knee injury.
Expect to see a lot more of Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II.
At his media availability on Wednesday, Harbaugh essentially confirmed that Gadsden will now have more of a green light on offense than he did to start the year:
"It shows you how if you don't like where you're at on the depth chart today, you can change that today and tomorrow," Harbaugh started. "He did that. He's gonna be in there more, he earned that."
"It jumped out at me though," Harbaugh continued. "When I told him at the beginning of the week, 'Oronde, you're up, you're playing, go have at it," there was a really good look in the eye. The kind of competitor he is, he wanted that. And by golly gosh, he got out there and makes a tough catch on the boundary. Kind of contested catches, you know. Challenging type catches. Two on the last field goal drive."
"I just have a feeling," Harbaugh said. "I've been to this movie a few times. There's more good to come."
Chargers QB Justin Herbert also spoke on Gadsden after his breakout performance:
Chargers QB Justin Herbert on targeting Oronde Gadsden II heavily in his first game: "Same thing he's done since camp, he's made plays and he's picked up the offense really quickly. And he's a guy that you can trust out there. You can throw him out there as a rookie and the scene… pic.twitter.com/R48ng0JbBv
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 24, 2025
Gadsden himself talked about how Herbert gave him some new confidence with how much he trusted the rookie tight end: "It was definitely a confidence booster, getting those five catches and knowing that Justin trusts me and he's able to go to me, especially in a two-minute drill to win the game," Gadsden said via LA Times Benjamin Royer.
This week, Gadsden will return to the tri-state area to take on the Giants after spending four years at Syracuse. Based on Harbaugh and Herbert's comments, he'll be a locked in fixture on offense going forward. And there's no way to justify a healthy scratch after a performance like that.