The Los Angeles Chargers have a 7-3 record and are well-positioned to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Quarterback Justin Herbert is having one of the best seasons of his career, and the team continues to win games despite many injuries to the offensive line.
One of the best stories of their season is the emergence of Oronde Gadsden II. The rookie tight end already has 466 yards and two touchdowns in his first eight games in the league. He leads the tight ends on the team, and quarterback Justin Herbert is happy with his production.
Justin Herbert Compares Chargers’ Oronde Gadsden II to Six-Time Pro Bowler
The quarterback is pleased with his new weapon. With Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly not making enough impact, Gadsden quickly became the starting tight end, and his numbers are comparable to those of Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Herbert made an interesting comparison between the rookie tight end and the veteran wide receiver.
“I think he’s so physically gifted, and he’s really smart too, and kind of like that Keenan gene of just being smart and understanding how people are playing them and not getting undercut,” Herbert said of Gadsen II (per RG.org). “When he’s running routes, he’s really friendly to the quarterback. I think that’s something that can’t be taught. I think it’s really hard to be taught. It’s whether you got it or you don’t, and he definitely has it.”
Gadsden has made an impact from the start. Although he wasn’t used in the first two weeks, he opened his career with five catches for 44 yards. Since then, he has posted four games with at least 60 receiving yards, highlighted by an impressive 164-yard performance against the Indianapolis Colts.
PFSN rates Gadsden with an impact score of 82.0, the eighth-best among NFL tight ends, earning him a B- grade. By comparison, Tyler Warren of the Indianapolis Colts leads all tight ends with 617 yards this season in 10 games, giving him an average of 61.7 yards per game. Gadsden’s average yards per game are slightly lower at 58.3.
A key note in the Allen-Gadsden comparison is that both were mid-round draft picks, even though their entry into the NFL came years apart. Gadsden is a rookie, while Allen began his NFL career in 2013.
If Gadsden continues to perform at this level, the Chargers can feel confident they have a tight end who could anchor the position for the next decade.
