Oronde Gadsden II is coming off of the best rookie TE season in franchise history with the Chargers. He set new yardage (664) and receptions (49) records by a Chargers rookie tight end. Out of all rookie tight end seasons in NFL history, his 664 receiving yards were 15th all-time.
Coming into year two however, Gadsden's stock is probably falling. The Chargers brought in Charlie Kolar and David Njoku in the offseason to share the depth chart with the Syracuse product. When the Chargers played 12 personnel in the preseason with their starters, Kolar and Njoku were the ones out there on the field. Gadsden did not play with the starters in the preseason.
Could Oronde Gadsden II be on the way out with the Chargers via trade?
Ultimately, he'll still have a role this season. But the question is just how far removed he is from the level of snaps and target share he had in 2025? We'll have to see how the season plays out. But both the Chargers' preseason and training camp rotations would indicate that Gadsden is third in that pecking order of TEs.
This prompted an idea from Brett Kollmann and EJ Snyder of the Bootleg Football Podcast in their Chargers preview— could the team see Gadsden as a future "trade chip" to acquire draft capital?
At about 58 minutes into the podcast, Kollmann and Snyder go back and forth on the potential lack of a role for Gadsden with the team signing Kolar, Njoku, and FB Alec Ingold. Snyder specifically noted him as a receiving only TE similar to what Miami had in Mike Gesicki. They used the example of Miami parting ways with Gesicki as a slot only non-blocker for what could happen with Gadsden.
The conversation then led to a potential trade discussion that could happen sooner rather than later. Kollmann mentioned the Chargers considering a trade potentially as soon as this year because of the role being "hard to project" for Gadsden. He even floated the Ravens as a possible destination.
For starters, I'm much higher on Gadsden long term and his value in the league as a big slot than the commentators here were. But even ignoring how high or low the average individual is on Gadsden's game currently, the trade simply isn't workable this season. It would leave the Chargers third TE being either Scott Matlock when he returns from IR or possibly practice squad signing Patrick Herbert. A fourth of fifth-round pick doesn't seem worth it for that drastic of a midseason downgrade
But besides that, the Chargers still need to see David Njoku play. Njoku has missed 11 of 34 games in his last two seasons with Cleveland due to injuries. His blocking scores and film have dropped in quality as a result of playing through injury. Njoku could very well bounce back with the Chargers and have a career year. But it's far from a guarantee given his last two seasons. If Njoku gets hurt, you'd still much rather have Gadsden as opposed to the alternative.
It also feels like a take that selectively analyzes Mike McDaniel's history. Two years after Gesicki's stint with Miami, Jonnu Smith won a Pro Bowl nomination with over 800 receiving yards as a big slot TE. Darren Waller revived his NFL career last season with the Dolphins despite not being a blocker. Using Gesicki as the lone example of a McDaniel non-Y TE feels a bit misleading.
The thesis that Gadsden could eventually fit out of the offense is at least plausible. But the Chargers have three more years of rookie contract control. Why move on from Gadsden before you have to when there's not enough depth to replicate his spot in the current TE room? If it becomes a conversation after the Chargers take a TE high in the 2027 NFL Draft, that's one thing. But getting rid of Gadsden midseason seems awfully premature.
A Gadsden understudy season to Njoku and Kolar on blocking seems like exactly what he needs. And he'll still play quite a lot if Njoku cannot stay on the field due to injury. Perhaps he won't be a long term Charger if the blocking doesn't improve, but it's hard to agree with the concept of trading him now.
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