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Here are the positions the Chargers could look to upgrade before the deadline.
October 31 is inching closer, which means the NFL trade deadline is near.
Following their bye, the Chargers will embark on a 13-game stretch, meaning they will need all the reinforcements they can get to bolster position groups that are a little thin or in case someone goes down.
With that said, let’s look at a few positions that Los Angeles could look to upgrade within the next couple of weeks.
Tight end is a position of need for the Chargers.
The Chargers will return all their tight ends from last season: Gerald Everett, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty and Stone Smartt.
Signed last offseason, Everett supplied the offense with a consistent piece in the passing game, finishing with career-highs in receptions (55) and receiving yards (555).
However, there was not much to boast about outside of Everett.
Parham appeared in six games after dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in training camp and a concussion. McKitty was drafted in 2021 to be an inline blocker, but he was underwhelming in that department and did not offer much value as a receiver.
With Parham’s injury concerns looming and the stagnant status of McKitty, Los Angeles would benefit from a complete player at the position to complement Everett in 2023 and take over as the No. 1 when Everett hits the free agency market after this upcoming season.
Furthermore, new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s scheme is heavily predicated on 12 personnel, which means two tight ends on the field. Therefore, they will be looking for a tight end proven as a receiver but can assist in the run game as a blocker.
“That position, when you can find it, it changes the way people have to play you,” Staley said. “Kellen’s had a lot of success playing that way. …Gaps and vertical threats is how you really stress defenses. So I think we have a good room right now. But we’re always looking to add.”
Luckily for Los Angeles, this year’s tight end group is loaded with talent.
If they want to address the position in Round 1, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid or Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer would make sense. Beyond that, Georgia’s Darnell Washington, Iowa’s Sam LaPorta, South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft and Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker are also ideal targets.
The Chargers only managed to get production out of Gerald Everett.
The tight end position is as important as it has ever been in the NFL, and the Chargers hosted five players at the spot in 2022. Led by veteran Gerald Everett, the group played a vital role in the team’s offense as a security blanket for Justin Herbert.
Though relatively modest compared to other tight ends around the league, Everett’s production this season wasn’t without merit. He tallied 555 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 58 catches, which was good for fifth place in the team leaderboard.
Behind Everett was third-year pass catcher Donald Parham Jr., whose enormous physical stature has proven to be a valuable asset for Herbert in the red zone and down the seams. However, he was limited to just ten catches for 130 yards and one touchdown in 2022 due to a hamstring injury and a concussion that kept him sidelined in all but six games.
The last three tight ends were non-factors. Tre’ McKitty, Stone Smartt, and Richard Rodgers combined for 93 yards on 15 catches over the year and were held out of the end zone for the 2022 campaign. McKitty started eight games for Los Angeles, while Smartt and Rodgers both made one start apiece.
With Parham’s injury concerns looming and the stagnant status of McKitty, the Chargers would benefit from a complete player at the position to complement Everett in 2023 and take over as the No. 1 when Everett hits the free agency market after the upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Chargers tight end group is led by veteran Jared Cook.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be breaking down the depth chart at each position for the Chargers.
Next up, I project what the tight end room will look like heading into the 2021 season.
Cook signed with Los Angeles this offseason after spending the last two seasons with the Saints in which he had 80 catches for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will primarily offer upside as a pass-catching option for quarterback Justin Herbert and a guy to clear out space for the wideouts. His familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s scheme should pay dividends. While he’s at the tail end of his career, Cook is in a prime position to produce.
Signed last year, Parham took advantage of his limited opportunities, recording 10 catches for 159 yards (15.9 yards per reception) and three touchdowns on 20 targets in 2020. Heading into Year 2, Lombardi said he liked what he saw from Parham on film, and that he’s excited to unlock his true potential. Expected to be a threat up the seams and in the red zone, the 6-foot-8 Parham could be in for a big season in 2021.
Drafted in third-round, McKitty was selected for his blocking skills, where he will have a role as an in-line blocker right off the bat. Underutilized as a pass-catcher in college, McKitty has flashed enough traits to be a reliable option in that department in this league. As he refines his game more, McKitty has the potential to be a physical mismatch with big-play potential.
The Los Angeles Chargers are filling out their tight end room after losing Hunter Henry.
The Chargers are bringing back one of their own players.
Los Angeles is re-signing tight end Stephen Anderson, according to the team’s official website.
The move came a week after Hunter Henry signed with the Patriots. Also in correspondence, L.A. signed Jared Cook to a one-year deal.
Anderson, 28, played all 16 games last season with three starts. He made eight catches for 106 yards.
Even though Anderson played only 139 offensive snaps, he was a key special teams player. He saw playing time on 303 special teams snaps in 2020.
When he was on the field for offensive snaps, Anderson was a plus blocker and yards after the catch asset.
In his career, Anderson has played 45 career games with eight starts, posting 44 catches for 541 yards and two touchdowns.
The Los Angeles Chargers tight end unit was highly touted by Pro Football Focus.
The Chargers’ tight end position hasn’t been touted as one of the stronger units in years prior. Instead, it has been Hunter Henry that has done the bulk of the workload.
Regardless, Pro Football Focus‘ Steve Palazzolo believes that Los Angeles has one of the better tight ends rooms in the league, being tabbed No. 9 overall out of 32 teams.
Henry, the one-man wrecking machine, received high praise from Palazzolo.
“Henry posted an 85.7 receiving grade as a rookie in 2016, an 86.7 mark in his second season and then played just 14 snaps in 2018,” Palazzolo said. “He was then limited again last year, playing just 12 games.
Henry still graded at 73.2 overall, good for 14th in the league. He wins at all levels of the field and quarterbacks have a passer rating of 132.3 when targeting him, which is more than 10 points better than any tight end in the league since 2016.”
Los Angeles recently tagged Henry, keeping him around for at least one more year. A key focal point in the team’s passing attack, Henry caught a career-high 55 passes for 652 yards and five touchdowns in just 12 games last season.
If he can stay healthy, a monstrous season could be on the horizon, which could then earn him a long-term extension after the season.
Behind Henry on the depth chart is Virgil Green, Donald Parham and Stephen Anderson.
Here is what Palazzolo had to say about the trio:
The backup is Virgil Green, a run-blocking specialist who takes on the more difficult, in-line blocking assignments. Green is not much of a threat in the passing game — he’s never caught more than 22 passes in a season — but he’s performed his backup role well during his nine years in the league.
The rest of the depth chart includes Stephen Anderson, more of a “move,” H-back type, and 6-foot-8 Donald Parham, a third-year project out of Stetson College. The Chargers need a full year of Henry to maximize their pass-game potential, and if he stays healthy, they’ll have one of the more productive tight end units in the league.
Here’s how I believe the depth chart at the position will shake up.
Hunter Henry is the first tight end on the depth chart. Then who?
The tight end position for the Chargers revolved around Antonio Gates for more than a decade. But the curve was shifted last year as it marked the first season without the future Hall of Famer on the roster.
Hunter Henry has done a fine job to fill his shoes, but outside of him, the production has been nearly nonexistent. Could that change this upcoming season?
Below, I take a crack at predicting Los Angeles’ depth chart at tight end for the 2020 season:
This comes as no surprise. Henry, the former second-round pick, has been a valuable asset in both the passing and run-blocking department. The former Arkansas product has yet to play a full 16-game slate in each of his four seasons, all due to injury. However, he’s posting a career average of 8.9 yards per catch, which has been in the top-10 in three out of the past four seasons. Despite the change at quarterback, Henry should still be a matchup nightmare on short crossing and deeper routes. Look for him to be a valuable weapon in the red zone, too. If he can stay healthy, Henry could finish as a top-5 tight end.
Green was signed in the offseason of 2018. In his first season as a Charger, Green had the opportunity to play a significant role after Henry went down with a season-ending injury. But he still didn’t manage to outperform Gates, the insurance signee, finishing with only 210 yards and one touchdown on 19 receptions. Last season, Green’s usage and production slipped upon Henry returning. He amassed nine catches for 78 yards and a score. Heading into this season, Green will likely average 25% of the offense’s snaps per game, primarily serving as an additional blocker.
This is where the competition begins. Normally this would likely be filled by Sean Culkin, but he’s no longer on the roster. Fighting for the final spot will be Parham, Stephen Anderson and Andrew Vollert. Vollert was in training camp with the Chargers last season before he tore his ACL during preseason game. Anderson was kept around on the team’s practice squad in 2019. Parham was signed earlier this offseason after showing out in the XFL, where he caught 24 passes for 307 yards and four TDs in five games. The 6-foot-8 and 240 pound tight end gets the nod here. While he is a liability as a blocker, Parham brings an enticing skillset as a pass-catcher. With his freakish combination of size and speed, Parham could be a mismatch weapon as a hybrid slot, where he could flourish down the seam and in the red zone.
