Tag: Tre McKitty

What the signing of TE Gerald Everett means for the Chargers

Highlighting TE Gerald Everett’s previous tenures with the Rams and Seahawks, his role with the Chargers, and the outlook of the position.

The Chargers signed tight end Gerald Everett to a two-year deal on Sunday.

General manager Tom Telesco’s presser at the Combine said that the tight end group was not complete.

With Jared Cook’s departure, a void needed to be filled by a complete tight end to round out the room.

Insert Everett, who gives the team a younger replacement, as he is just 27 compared to Cook who was 34.

Familiarity has been a factor with some of the players brought in. Everett fits that billing, having played on the Rams the same year that Brandon Staley was their defensive coordinator.

Drafted in the second round by the Rams in 2017, Everett served as Tyler Higbee’s backup in each of his four seasons with the team. He totaled 127 catches for 1,389 yards and eight touchdowns in that timeframe.

After his rookie contract was up, the Seahawks signed him to a one-year deal.

He accounted for just 135 yards and one touchdown during his first six games. When Russell Wilson returned from his injury, Everett found his groove. In his final nine games, he averaged 38 yards per game, totaling 342 yards and three touchdowns.

What Everett will provide in the offense is someone who can move all over the formation, with vertical and horizontal field-stretching capabilities, yards-after-the-catch ability, and the toughness to make contested catches.

Everett will slide in as the top tight end on the depth chart. Donald Parham made strides in his second season with the Chargers, showing strides with his blocking to go along with his pass-catching skills, but they clearly feel he needs more time to develop before taking on a No. 1 role.

Tre’ McKitty showed plenty of promise as a blocker in his rookie season, and he should resume his duties in the in-line spot. Stephen Anderson was another pleasant surprise in his role as the hybrid fullback/H-back. Now, the question is whether or not Anderson will be back next season.

As it stands, with the addition of Everett, this group has plenty of upside heading into 2022.

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.

Who’s in, out for Chargers vs. Chiefs?

Joe Bosa is active.

The Los Angeles Chargers are about to battle it out with the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC West showdown.

Here is a look at their inactives today:

Easton Stick

Chris Harris Jr.

Joshua Kelley

Amen Ogbongbemiga

Brenden Jaimes

Tre’ McKitty

Justin Jones

After being listed as questionable with a foot and ankle injury, edge defender Joey Bosa will play today.

Inactive report for Chargers’ Week 2 matchup vs. Cowboys

The Chargers have six inactive players for their matchup against the Cowboys.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to kickoff their home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, which also marks the first regular season game with fans in attendance at SoFi Stadium.

Here is a look at their inactives today:

DL Justin Jones (calf)

DB Chris Harris (shoulder)

QB Easton Stick

TE Tre’ McKitty

RB Joshua Kelley

OL Michael Schofield

With Jones out, Christian Covington and Eric Banks will see an uptick in snaps. Joe Gaziano was also promoted from the practice squad.

In Harris’ absence, Alohi Gilman, Trey Marshall, and Kemon Hall are a few players that can play his role in the slot.

Inactive report for Chargers’ Week 1 matchup vs. Washington

Find out who’s in and who’s out for the Chargers against the Washington Football Team.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to kickoff their 2021 season on the road against the Washington Football Team.

Here is a look at their inactives today:

Easton Stick

Joshua Kelley

Trey Marshall

Amen Ogbongbemiga

Tre’ McKitty

After being listed as questionable, running back Austin Ekeler is officially active and will play. With Joshua Kelley a healthy scratch, that should mean more goal-line touches for Larry Rountree.

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.

WR Josh Palmer inks rookie deal with Chargers, 2 remain unsigned

One of the Los Angeles Chargers’ third-round pick officially signed

Wide receiver Josh Palmer is officially a Charger.

Palmer, the team’s third-round pick, signed his rookie contract on Friday. The wideout out of Tennessee was the No. 77 overall selection, and the first of two players chosen by Los Angeles.

With Palmer signing, seven of the the Bolts’ nine picks have now officially signed with the team. First-round pick Rashawn Slater and the other third rounder Tre’ McKitty are the only ones who have yet to sign.

Slater joins quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Trey Lance is the only first rounders who remain unsigned.

Slater not being signed yet may draw some concern, but when considering the Chargers didn’t sign last year’s first rounder Justin Herbert until July 26, there’s should not be anything to overthink.

I expect both Slater and McKitty to ink their rookie deals sooner than later. Even if it isn’t prior to the start of training camp this week, expect them to still be in attendance based on the fact that they both attended minicamp and OTAs.

Fantasy football outlook, projection for Chargers TE Jared Cook

Entering Year 13, Jared Cook is in a great position to have another productive season.

With fantasy football drafts soon to be in full swing, I am going to do a series for each Chargers skill player and how they will fare this upcoming season and the production I project them to put up.

Today, we start with tight end Jared Cook, who replaces Hunter Henry.

Cook signed with Los Angeles this offseason after playing the best football of his career over the past three seasons with the Raiders and Saints.

In 2018, under Frank Smith, the Chargers’ offensive line coach, who was his position coach with the Raiders then, Cook had a career year, catching 68 passes for 896 yards and six TDs en route to his first Pro Bowl.

Cook spent the last two seasons with the Saints alongside offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who served the quarterbacks coach then. He had 80 catches for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Cook’s 14.2 yards per reception over the past three seasons are more than any other tight end in the NFL with at least 100 receptions over that span, per Pro Football Focus.

This season, Cook will be joined by Donald Parham and Tre’ McKitty. Parham is an ascending option who could see an uptick in targets. McKitty will primarily serve as an in-line blocker, with potential to receive targets down the road.

As for Cook, he will provide a big frame in the middle of the field and in the red zone for Justin Herbert. 22 of Cook’s 41 career touchdowns were inside 20 yards and in 12 seasons, he has 100 career receptions of 20 yards or more.

With Lombardi transferring some of the New Orleans concepts over to L.A., the familiarity should only maximize his potential connection with Herbert.

During the final season that Lombardi called plays for the Lions, QB Matthew Stafford targeted the tight end on nearly 25% of his passes. In addition, Saints’ Drew Brees relied heavily on his tight ends.

At the moment, ESPN has him ranked 23rd out of 35 tight ends heading into the summer. But Cook, who has been playing the best football of his career since turning 30, is a strong TE2, with potential to finish top-12 at his position.

My projection: 68 Tgts | 47 Rec | 642 Yds | 6 Rec Tds

Fantasy Football: Chargers TE Donald Parham presents value as deep sleeper

Chargers tight end Donald Parham could be in for decent production in his sophomore season.

During his stint in the XFL before it was cut short due to the pandemic, Donald Parham was electric, leading led all tight ends in receiving with 24 receptions for 307 yards and four touchdowns.

Parham was a No. 1 fantasy TE in the XFL and enters a new year which could see him provide value to NFL fantasy football owners.

Signed by the Chargers last year, Parham took advantage of his limited opportunities behind Hunter Henry and Virgil Green, recording 10 catches for 159 yards (15.9 yards per reception) and three touchdowns on 20 targets in 2020.

At 6-foot-8, Parham showed he could be a promising target for quarterback Justin Herbert with his ability to outpace defenders down the field and the insane arm length and reliable hands to pluck the ball in the air.

Heading into the 2021 season, even after the additions of Jared Cook and rookie Tre’ McKitty, Parham’s upside is endless due to his elite physical and athletic traits coupled with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system.

During the final season that Lombardi called plays for the Lions, QB Matthew Stafford targeted the tight end on nearly 25% of his passes. In addition, Saints’ Drew Brees relied heavily on his tight ends.

Expected to draw parallels to the Saints offense, the team has produced five top 10 fantasy tight ends. Three of those came from Jimmy Graham in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Ben Watson in 2015 and Cook in 2019.

With Lombardi’s offense heavily predicated on matchups in which he will be show a wide variety of personnel packages, Parham could be the mismatch to threaten seams and in the red zone.

Lombardi said he liked what he saw from Parham on film last season, and that he’s excited to unlock his potential. Could he be in for a big year? Only time will tell, but stashing Parham in your respective leagues could pay dividends.

Projecting the Chargers’ tight end depth chart in 2021

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.

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Next up, I project what the tight end room will look like heading into the 2021 season.

TE1: Jared Cook

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.

TE2: Donald Parham

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.

TE3: Tre’ McKitty

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.