After scoring the opening touchdown on an 8-yard seam route in a 37-10 victory over the Vikings in Week 8, Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II had a few words for Minnesota defensive back Joshua Metellus. Even though the rookie received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, second-year receiver Ladd McConkey, who stepped in, said that’s the kind of juice he likes to see from Gadsden.
“I love his fire, love his energy,” McConkey said. “Just to see him making plays is awesome. I saw that in training camp, so it’s no surprise to me.
“He’s just a playmaker. Anything you throw at him, he’s ready for it. His catch radius is crazy. He’s like a receiver but in a tight end’s body.”
After scoring early in a Week 8 game, Oronde Gadsden II let Vikings safety Joshua Metellus know that it was going to be a long day for Minnesota. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Gadsden was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft by the Bolts, yet only first-round pick Tyler Warren has more receiving yards among rookie tight ends through the first eight weeks.
He is the son of former NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden, who played six years for the Miami Dolphins, finishing with 227 receptions for 3,252 yards and 22 touchdowns, including the final touchdown pass of Dan Marino’s Hall of Fame career.
The younger Gadsden started out as a receiver at Syracuse but bulked up and made the position switch. He finished his career as the school’s career receptions (141) and yards (1,970) record holder by a tight end.
Gadsden now follows an impressive lineage of pass-catching tight ends for the Chargers, which includes Hall of Famers Kellen Winslow and Antonio Gates and other talented pass-catchers such as Freddie Jones, Hunter Henry and Ladarius Green.
“They’re great people to talk to, to try and follow in their footsteps and be where they are,” Gadsden said.
A healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, Gadsden has 27 catches for 385 yards and two scores. He’s done most of his damage in his past two games, with 12 receptions for 241 yards and two scores on 14 targets.
Gadsden caught fire in a Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, posting a career-high 164 receiving yards. That was the most by an NFL tight end this season and the most by a rookie tight end in a single game since Mark Bavaro totaled 176 yards in October 1985.
Extrapolating Gadsden’s numbers over a full season would put him at 57 catches for 818 yards and four touchdowns. That would be the most receiving yards by a Chargers tight end since Gates had 821 in 2014.
Like his father, Gadsden’s long wingspan makes him a deadly target down the field who can win contested catches. It also helps that, despite his size, Gadsden II ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, which is faster than any tight end who ran at the NFL Combine. But Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said it was Gadsden’s preparation, work ethic and mature approach to his craft that stood out in offseason work and training camp.
“The thing that strikes me the most is he plays like he’s been playing in the NFL for two, three, four years,” Harbaugh said. “He seems like a four-year, five-year player to me. I’m sure that Mr. Gadsden and Mrs. Gadsden have poured that into him. With his dad playing, you could probably connect the dots there that he’s been in the league his whole life.
“That’s how he plays. That’s how he approaches everything that he does in the meeting environment [and] the training environment.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said Gadsden’s playmaking ability jumped out early on.
“As soon as he got here for camp, we knew he was going to be pretty good,” Herbert said. “He made a ton of plays, picked up the offense really quickly and just found a way to get open.”
And veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman told me: “Every game he’s just developing, and he’s growing. And in practice it’s the same thing. He’s got juice, and he’s never satisfied. He’s always working to get better.”
While Gadsden appreciates the kind words, he appreciates playing with Herbert even more.
“It’s great,” the rookie said. “I was looking up to him before. I used to be a Dolphins fan growing up, and I really hoped he was going to be on the Dolphins when the Chargers first took him.
“So, being able to play with him now and seeing the way he carries himself, the way he practices and throws the ball — just the trust you can put into him.”
Gadsden is quickly becoming one of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s favorite targets. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gadsden understands he still has a long way to go to reach his full potential. Heck, even his father still won’t start him on his fantasy football team, acknowledging a bit of superstition.
“Nobody else got him. We cool with it. I’m cool,” the older Gadsden said in a weekly spot on Miami sports radio. “He’s gonna ride the pine!”
The younger Gadsden understands his father’s sentiments.
“He still doesn’t start me,” said Gadsden, smiling. “I guess it’s just having good games in a row. He wants to keep it like that.”
If Gadsden keeps putting together more good games in a row, his father will soon have him in his starting lineup.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
