Camp Outlook
The Chargers made a clear effort to revamp their tight end room in the offseason.
And as training camp approaches, the Bolt might now boast one of the deepest and more well-rounded rooms across the league.
"What's so cool about the tight end position is that it's the crux of the offense in terms of [the fact] we are out there to create run-pass conflict for the defense," Chargers tight ends coach Chandler Henley said this offseason.
Oronde Gadsden returns after a promising rookie season that saw him haul in 49 catches for 664 yards and three scores.
Gadsden, a 2025 fifth-round pick, had his best game in Week 8 when he tallied seven catches for 164 yards.
Henley said Gadsden's athletic skillset should fit right in to Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel's scheme.
"He wants to do everything right and he's a perfectionist," Henley said. "But he takes to coaching and he certainly comes from an athletic background. Watching his college tape, he was a devastating receiver when he got into the defense.
"He's put on some weight and has done a good job understanding what we do [in McDaniel's scheme]," Henley added.
The rest of the room is made up entirely of new faces, including a pair of offseason free agent additions in Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.
A fourth-round draft pick (No. 128 overall) by Baltimore in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kolar played in 47 games and made 13 starts over his four seasons with the team to go along with four playoff appearances.
He will provide some grit in the trenches as one of the league's best blocking tight ends.
Among tight ends that logged at least 400 snaps in 2025, Kolar ranked sixth in Pro Football Focus' run-block grade (71.5) and ninth in total offense grade (78.7).
Kolar hopped on a video call with the Chargers front office and coaching staff during free agency and was sold right away.
"To see the way they had a vision for me fitting into the offense, it meant a lot," Kolar said. "It felt like the way I saw myself as a player.
"I was really glad to meet them before I signed. I already had a good feeling ... but that was really cool to get face-to-face with them," Kolar added.
Njoku, meanwhile, is a 2017 first-round pick who has played in 118 games (88 starts) and hauled in 384 receptions for 4,062 yards, good for an average of 10.6 yards per reception.
The veteran can do a little bit of everything and is fired up ahead of his first season in powder blue.
"I've been playing this game for a very long time, so at the very least I can add knowledge," Njoku said about what he adds to the position. "I think my athletic ability speaks for itself, as well as the other tight ends.
"I think we can push each other to be really good," Njoku added.
The rest of the room is made up of undrafted free agents in Jerand Bradley, Johnny Pascuzzi and Evan Svoboda.