Why David Njoku Provides the Ideal Veteran Bridge for Oronde Gadsden II

It doesn't get much better than this for the Los Angeles Chargers: Signing tight end David Njoku in free agency provides a boost to Justin Herbert’s offense, no doubt.

But double exclamation points here: It also gives the Chargers an incredible veteran mentor for breakout second-year tight end Oronde Gadsden.

The Chargers and Njoku agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $8 million Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That’s one week after the former Cleveland Browns star’s reported visit to the Chargers.

At the time, we broke down why Njoku was a good fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense and the impact it would have on Gadsden.

Now, it’s official.

Chargers sign David Njoku: Impact on Oronde Gadsden

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku — David Njoku | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Turning 30 in July, Njoku has seen it all in the NFL since entering the league in 2017 via the first round.

No hyperbole: Njoku’s number of quarterbacks who have thrown him a pass has almost surpassed his age. He’s in the 20-something range after so many years in Cleveland.

Injuries have limited Njoku to 23 games over the last two seasons, yet he’s scored nine touchdowns anyway. Meaning, beyond just being a nice schematic fit for McDaniel, he’s already proven solid in a rotation that should still emphasize Gadsden more.

Because Gadsden is worth emphasizing. The breakout candidate of a fifth-rounder last year appeared in 15 games, catching 49 passes for 664 yards and three scores. He had to prove himself as an all-around presence and break out of logjam of a depth chart. And when he did, Herbert loved targeting him, even if both were stuck in a middling Greg Roman offense with the worst offensive line in football.

Gadsden went into 2026 looking like a 1,000-plus yard breakout before Njoku’s arrival and that doesn’t really change now. He’s going to get a full offseason of actual NFL work, not draft prep work, has a year of experience on his resume and gets to work in a McDaniel offense.

Beyond the usual mentor stuff, Njoku won’t eat a ton of Gadsden’s snaps. Sure, McDaniel will get them on the field together in some fun looks, but the Chargers depth chart was screaming for another pass-catching tight end.

The other notables on the roster, after all, look like this:

Charlie Kolar
Tanner McLachlan
Thomas Yassmin

Charlie Kolar and the rest are pretty much blockers. Kolar wil be on the field with one of Gadsden or Njoku. McDaniel wanted him in free agency while knowing Njoku was out there for a reason.

The Chargers didn’t do this without a plan. They know what they have in Gadsden. Njoku joining the rotation will keep him fresh. One of the top tight ends in the NFL, Kyle Pitts, only played 88 percent of the snaps over 17 games last year.

A Njoku-Gadsden rotation? That works for everyone on the Chargers, now and into the future.

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