Following the strong rookie campaign of Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II and the addition of veteran Pro Bowler David Njoku in free agency, it seems odd to assert that Charlie Kolar — TE3 for the Ravens last year — will be the new TE1 for the Chargers. However, that’s just what Daniel Popper of The Athletic is seeing out of Organized Team Activities in Los Angeles this past week. Popper’s assertion is based mostly on the observation that Kolar is the best run blocker of a group that includes Gadsden, Njoku, and three undrafted rookies.
Over the course of four years in Baltimore, Kolar only amassed 30 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns. He essentially redshirted his rookie year behind veterans Mark Andrews and Josh Oliver and fellow rookie Isaiah Likely. With Andrews limited to only 11 games in 2023, Likely took over a lot of the position’s receiving opportunities, while Kolar mainly saw the field as a run blocker. He continued to specialize as a run blocker in his third season, and in the final year of his rookie contract, Kolar led the room in run blocking snaps.
Popper doesn’t see Kolar as a one-trick pony, though; he believes that Kolar has “upside as a pass catcher” and that the complete skillset will give him more consistent opportunities than Gadsden or Njoku. Kolar demonstrated his receiving abilities during his time at Iowa State. In his final three years as a starter for the Cyclones, Kolar totaled 157 receptions for 2,044 yards and 20 touchdowns in 36 games. Though he was only targeted 41 times in Baltimore, Kolar routinely graded high as a receiver, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with his only two drops coming in his sophomore campaign.
Njoku has the most starting experience of the three by far. Formerly a first-round pick for the Browns out of Miami (FL), Njoku showed a ton of promise with a strong Year 2 but saw injuries derail the rest of his rookie contract. He didn’t find his stride again until returning to a full-time starting role in 2022 then earning Pro Bowl honors with career highs in receptions (81), receiving yards (882), and receiving touchdowns (6) in 2023. Originally thought to be a pure receiving tight end out of college, Cleveland utilized Njoku in a balanced role from his fourth year with the team up until the last two seasons. While he’s got plenty of experience, he’s never graded very high as a run blocker, per PFF.
Gadsden quickly earned a major role in Los Angeles, starting seven games as a rookie and catching 49 passes for 664 yards and three touchdowns. Simply by being on the field more than his tight end teammates last year, Gadsden racked up a good number of run blocking snaps, but his usage trended heavily towards receiving plays and his run blocking, when he was on the field, left a lot to be desired.
Should Popper be correct in predicting Kolar as the future TE1 in Los Angeles, Gadsden and Njoku will almost certainly still get their receiving opportunities rotating in off the bench. Kolar’s run blocking abilities could potentially put him on the field as a starter, though, and if his receiving abilities can shine in the increased exposure, Kolar will have a great opportunity to carve out a consistent starting role on the Chargers offense.
This is Mike McDaniel’s doing. Making this guy into Julien Hill. As a Dolphin fan, couldn’t wait to get rid on both of them.
I’m a fan of Kolar too and I agree that he can do more than just block if in the right system. He’s under most fans radar but could be a sleeper fantasy league add that could payoff nicely.
Kolar can catch, for sure. The Chargers are definitely going to want a blocker, though, starting, and Kolar is by far their best option there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts and ends up with a career high in receiving yards.
The question then becomes what to do with Gadsden. Njoku was added to play some snaps, no matter what, which reduces the snap share for the sophomore. He hasn’t been in the league long, but does someone offer something that L.A. takes for Gadsden, or does L.A. try to divvy up some snaps for him? They could do what Pittsburgh should have last year, and take advantage of their three TE depth in receiving sets, which would give them the option to run and pass effectively from larger personnel sets. I’m curious to see how it shakes out.