Oronde Gadsden II was a healthy scratch in the LA Chargers' first two games of the 2025 season. A path to playing time suddenly opened this week with tight end Will Dissly missing Sunday's game with an injury. For the first time this season, Gadsden was active on gameday.
And he made his reps count. The Chargers' rookie tight end had five catches, more than any all of LA's receptions combined amongst TEs in their first two games (4). On the game's final drive, Gadsden has two receptions for 15 yards in succession to take the Chargers up near midfield.
Justin Herbert praised his rookie tight end after Oronde Gadsden came up huge in the Chargers' win over the Broncos.
Justin Herbert had this to say about his rookie tight end after the game:
"He made some big plays," Herbert said. "Especially not being active the past couple of weeks and we asked him, you know, he's gonna have a big role today. And he wasn't phased at all. He went up there first game and made some big plays. And we're looking for a big year from him."
Going forward, it will be hard for the coaching staff to justify not playing Gadsden. He clearly gave them the most pass catching juice out of all their TE options, including an explosive 17 yard reception.
Gadsden was the teams' second fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Chargers traded two of their sixth-round picks to the Eagles in exchange for the pick to select the Syracuse product. HC Jim Harbaugh told Gadsden on the team's draft call, "we love you, and we got a spot where you're gonna help us immediately."
The rookie tight end will look to repeat his breakout performance when the Chargers head to New Jersey to take on the Giants next week.