The Los Angeles Chargers, heading into a Week 4 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks already on the outside looking in of the AFC playoff race, desperately need a playmaker to step up and help lead the offense out of the muck and mire in which it's found itself under Mike McDaniel.
Ladd McConkey, who's been the Chargers' primary pass catcher to this point in the season, has been somewhat limited with a rib injury, and we got news on Thursday that he didn't practice after suffering a new foot injury. It's unclear what his status for the matchup against Seattle is, but that's never a good sign.
In theory, despite all of his deficits as a blocker, second-year tight end Oronde Gadsden II should be able to put up some production through the air. Especially with both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku out, Los Angeles will be forced to lean on Gadsden for the foreseeable future, using him as both an in-line tight end and, in certain scenarios, as a 'big slot' type of pass catcher. At the very least, we know he has the dynamic abilities in the open field to take on that role.
But he failed to produce in his lone week as TE1 this season. Although he played an elevated 56.5% of the team's offensive snaps, he didn't log a reception on three targets against the Buffalo Bills.
If the Chargers can't find a way to get Gadsden activated even in these circumstances, what his role look like when the tight end room is whole again?
Oronde Gadsden II needs to seize his elevated role with Charlie Kolar out—or face relegation on the depth chart again
When the Chargers' first unofficial depth chart of the regular season came out, the football world as a whole expressed a bit of shock at seeing Gadsden listed as the TE3 behind Charlie Kolar and David Njoku. After all, didn't he just put together an impressive rookie campaign, posting 49 receptions for 664 yards and three touchdowns in a relatively inactive offense?
But anyone who was watching the Chargers closely throughout the offseason and their preseason slate knew that was coming. McDaniel's scheme favors tight ends with blocking abilities, especially in 12-personnel looks, to maximize what he's able to accomplish with his outside-zone run game. Both Kolar and Njoku far exceed Gadsden in that aspect of their games, and both possess varying amounts of upside as pass catchers.
If Gadsden didn't improve as a blocker this season (especially considering some of the rough reps we saw during the preseason slate), it was possible that his snap share would be cut significantly from what he saw during his rookie campaign. But that was before the injury bug hit the Chargers.
After the Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, David Njoku was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury, while Charlie Kolar was ruled out for at least a couple of games with an arm injury. The good news was that Kolar didn't need to go on the IR. He hasn't returned to practice yet, but one would imagine that means he'll be back close to or before the four-week absence that an IR stint stipulates.
Gadsden's opportunity to prove he can function as a primary tight end in McDaniel's scheme, especially considering the team's desperate need for dynamic pass catcher, is already upon him. Hayden Rucci, whom the Chargers swiped from the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad, certainly isn't challenging him for targets.
But that lack of production against Buffalo is concerning. The Chargers' offensive scheme has continued to largely operate on the vertical axis of the field, which has left Gadsden with very few opportunities to make his mark in the passing game. McDaniel did show a willingness to line Gadsden up in a variety of situations in Week 3, which is promising. He saw, in total, 18 snaps as an in-line tight end, eight snaps out of the slot, and even three snaps lined up out wide.
But when Kolar inevitably returns to the fold, he's going to take precedence over Gadsden on a down-to-down basis. Gadsden needs to produce in his absence if he wants to prove himself as a potential contributor for this offense over the rest of the season.
Of course, a major portion of that comes down to McDaniel's scheme. But nonetheless, another game without a reception won't be helpful for Gadsden's trajectory—especially considering the fact that Kolar's return seems relatively imminent.
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