Chargers Get Some Strange Warnings About the Splash David Njoku Signing

Should the Chargers be concerned about these details after the David Njoku signing?

David Njoku | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers scored a big win in NFL free agency when they signed David Njoku ahead of the NFL schedule release. 

Those Chargers already had breakout second-year player Oronde Gadsden on the roster and signed Charlie Kolar in free agency well before the move. Fixing a problematic-for-years area was a key goal of the offseason with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in town. 

Seeing the calendar turn to May and still signing a former first-round pick and big-play artist like Njoku for Justin Herbert could be one of the steals of the offseason for any team. 

And yet, some were quick to raise red flags about the Chargers’ big apparent win. 

Chargers sign David Njoku in free agency…red flags raised

David Njoku | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Rest assured the Chargers knew some of the concerns around signing Njoku this late in the process. 

Still, it’s an interesting topic amid the mostly overwhelming positivity. 

NFL analyst Pat Thorman, for example, suggested that Njoku “might just be toast” because he remained on the free-agent market for so long despite the NFL breaking normal habits and spending huge leaguewide on the position. 

Another analyst, Adam Levitan, pointed out some statistical dips, the contract and both Gadsden and Kolar being better in their respective roles as possible red flags: 

Definitely agree here. Signs have been downright bad for David Njoku:
* Gets outplayed decisively by Round 3 rookie Harold Fannin last year
* YPRR gone down each of last three seasons, bottomed out at 1.06 last year
* Gets very little interest on open market despite a league-wide… https://t.co/092Y7iVFOv

— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) May 11, 2026

And hey, it’s also good to hear the negatives to get a well-rounded idea of a move in the NFL. 

This one, though, isn’t all that concerning. Some of these are positives for the Chargers, in fact. The contract doesn’t hurt them or put them at big risk. The fact they have better players in both receiving and blocking, at least according to this analysis, insulates them from relying too much on Njoku. 

There are other things to consider. Maybe Njoku had plenty of teams calling, but wanted to see how the NFL looked after the draft. Maybe he only wanted to play with an elite quarterback. He’s spent years in Cleveland purgatory, which harmed his numbers. Now he gets to link up with Justin Herbert and possibly put up great film before hitting free agency again. 

And at the end of the day? The Chargers have made very measured moves to get McDaniel what he wants. If he wanted Njoku, there’s probably a pretty good plan in place to maximize what he can do within the offense. 

The upside for the Chargers is huge with Njoku. The risk, minimal. The negatives are worth pointing out, but when they feel like reaches like this, it’s hard to complain

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