Chargers tight ends – Syndication Server

Chargers TE Stone Smartt primed for bigger role

With Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst out, Stone Smartt sits atop the tight end depth chart.

Will Dissly suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday night in the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs, likely sidelining him for a couple of weeks.

Hayden Hurst is still on injured reserve with a hip injury and won’t be eligible to return until Week 16,

That means the next man up for Los Angeles’ tight end group will be Stone Smartt, who sits atop the depth chart for this upcoming game against the Buccaneers.

Smartt stepped up when Dissly went down in the second quarter in Week 13. He played 22 snaps and turned them into three receptions for 54 yards, providing a second-half offensive spark.

“Guy has an opportunity, it’s there. He’s been chipping away at it-gets it, excels,” Jim Harbaugh said on Smartt.

Smartt has primarily been a special teams player this season, but he’s made the most of his opportunities when he’s been on offense. He has caught six passes for 98 yards (16.3 yards per catch).

Chargers re-sign TE Donald Parham Jr.

All three of the Chargers’ primary tight ends will return next season.

On Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke the news that Donald Parham Jr. had re-signed with the Chargers. Terms of the contract were not immediately available.

Parham became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday after the Chargers elected not to tender him as a restricted free agent by the start of the new league year. He reportedly had interest from the Browns, Bills, and Patriots, the latter of which signed former Dolphin Mike Gesicki on Friday.

Signed out of the XFL in 2020, Parham has struggled with injuries, namely concussions and a recurring hamstring issue, in his time in LA. Last season he was limited to only six games, catching ten passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.

In his three-year Chargers career, he has 40 receptions for 479 yards and seven touchdowns.

Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ tight ends

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.

Tight ends play integral role in Chargers’ victory over Eagles

The tight ends are a sneaky strength of the Chargers.

Before the regular season, I mentioned how the Chargers’ tight end group was a sneaky strength of the team.

On Sunday, the entire unit backed up my words, playing a crucial role in the victory over the Eagles.

Jared Cook, the veteran of the crop, finished with four catches for 48 yards. In addition, Cook caught the two-point conversion after Justin Herbert’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Donald Parham had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Parham made a monstrous catch over Darius Slay. Soon after, Parham made an agile move in space and put a stiff arm on Slay to find the end zone.

Stephen Anderson posted a season-high four catches for 39 yards and a score. But his work goes beyond the box score.

Anderson served as a key blocker, both in pass protection and on the ground. Furthermore, he pushed Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler beyond the marker on a pair of fourth-down situations.

Rookie Tre’ McKitty has been active the past two games. While he only played six snaps this past weekend, it is clear that he will develop a more of a role as an inline blocker as the season goes on.

Credit also goes to offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who was the one who drew up the play designs to get the tight ends consistently open in space for Herbert’s disposal.

“They make our offense so much more dynamic,” Herbert said of the tight ends.

Chargers tight ends quietly making noise at training camp

The tight end group could be a real strength for the Chargers.

Lost in the spotlight of quarterback Justin Herbert, the battle at the running back and wide receiver positions have been the Chargers tight ends.

Jared Cook, Donald Parham, rookie Tre’ McKitty and Stephen Anderson, who have been working with the first-team offense, depending on the package, have all flown under the radar.

Expected to provide a big frame in the middle of the field and in the red zone, Cook and Herbert have connected a handful of times thus far. His knowledge with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system is paying dividends to aide with Herbert’s transition.

Known for his mismatch ability down the seam, Parham has steadily improved his game, showing refinement as a route-runner and the strength to be an asset in the blocking department. Like Cook, Parham has been one of Herbert’s favorite targets in practice.

While he’s seen primarily as an in-line blocker, McKitty is showing upside as a pass-catcher, with excellent quickness and agility to get open and reliable hands to get to balls away from his body naturally.

Anderson, on the other hand, was seen as the guy in the group that was likely to be on the outside looking in heading into camp. However, he’s made a few plays and has displayed the versatility to line up at fullback and possesses special teams upside.

The fact that the tight ends are standing out at camp is a good sign. Given the fact that Lombardi incorporates a handful of three- and four-tight end sets to create mismatches, each player should be beneficial in this offense, especially with how they’ve looked at practices.

Chargers TE Donald Parham listed among free agency losers

Donald Parham was the Los Angeles Chargers’ TE1 for a brief moment.

With the big-name free agents all but gone for the most, some players will benefit from the new change of scenery or situation, while some won’t be in the most ideal situation, likely due to another player coming in.

For Chargers tight end Donald Parham, he was the No. 1 player on the depth chart for a brief moment after Hunter Henry chose to sign with the Patriots. However, that quickly changed after the signing of veteran Jared Cook.

The Athletic’s Eric Moody listed the winners and losers of free agency, and he believes this offseason was a loss for the former XFL star.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Parham once Hunter Henry signed with the Patriots. The 6’8″, 23-year-old tight end caught three touchdowns last season in a very limited role for the Chargers. Parham runs a 4.6 40 and has a 36-inch vertical leap. The Chargers, unfortunately, pumped the breaks on the hype train when they signed free-agent tight end Jared Cook. Perhaps Los Angeles isn’t ready to make Parham a full-time player.

Signed last offseason, Parham took advantage of his limited opportunities, as well as the season-ending injury to Virgil Green, where he recorded 10 catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 20 targets in 2020.

Even before the signing of Cook, Parham likely wasn’t seen as someone capable of manning the full-time starting role. While he’s an intriguing receiving option and a mismatch in the red zone, his blocking still leaves a lot to be desired.

Cook isn’t known for his blocking prowess either, but he does have plenty of experience as a starter in the league. Stephen Anderson, who was re-signed last week, is the one tight end on the roster who brings the run and pass-blocking chops.

Nonetheless, Parham could see an uptick in production from last season due to the influence that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi will have from the Sean Payton type of offense, but he isn’t likely going to put up starter-like numbers.