David Njoku Agrees To Deal With Los Angeles Chargers: Fantasy Impact On Njoku And Oronde Gadsden

Former Cleveland Browns tight end joins the Los Angeles Chargers in a move that could impact young tight end Oronde Gadsden.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) walks off the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8 million with former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku. Njoku will still be just 30 years old by the time the 2026 NFL season kicks off and is a proven fantasy asset. While he has dealt with injuries the past two seasons and was made expendable in Cleveland by 2025 breakout rookie star tight end Harold Fannin Jr, the former Miami Hurricane still has plenty to offer his new AFC West team.

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Being that Njoku was one of the best tight ends available on the market this offseason, it's a bit of a surprise that he went this long without being signed. Now he lands in a less-than-prolific passing attack with a lot of mouths to feed, including an impressive second-year tight end with high expectations, Oronde Gadsden. It will be intriguing to see how targets are spread out in Los Angeles this season and how they deploy these two talented tight ends.

Fantasy Impact

TE David Njoku, Los Angeles Chargers

This isn't the best landing spot for Njoku. It would have been nice to see him land somewhere where he would be the undisputed locked-in TE1. That's not to say he can't beat out Gadsden for the starting job, but it would be a surprise to see the young tight end fade into obscurity.

Along with Gadsden, Njoku will be competing for targets with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre Harris, and potentially a returning Keenan Allen, who is currently a free agent. They also added some talented young rookies in the draft that they are high on.

That's a lot of mouths to feed, considering quarterback Justin Herbert completed just 340 passes last season for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. Those 26 touchdowns were his most since 2021. If head coach Jim Harbaugh has his way, the passing volume will not go up. He loves to pound the ball on the ground.

To really gauge Njoku's value, you will have to monitor this position battle throughout the summer. We'd expect these two tight ends to cannibalize each other to some extent, and wouldn't draft Njoku as anything more than a TE2 with some upside.

TE Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

We already covered how the addition of Njoku could impact Gadsden. There is little doubt that Njoku is going to cut into both his snaps and targets. This is a tough blow for a young tight end who was set for a potential breakout season. We'd drop him from a locked-in top-10 fantasy tight end to a risky fringe TE1.

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