COSTA MESA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Chargers were anticipated to add a tight end in the 2023 NFL draft, with several mock drafts pegging the Bolts to select one with the No. 21 overall pick.
However, the Chargers went with TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston in Round 1 instead, and did not add to the tight end group with any of their remaining six picks in the draft.
“It’s fair to say that it was definitely a deep tight end class,” coach Brandon Staley said. “They way the board fell, the timing wasn’t right for us. ... You can't get everything that you want.”
As the Chargers now look ahead toward the offseason program and training camp, among the biggest questions facing the offense is whether they could be a tight end short of reaching their potential.
“We like our tight end room. What draft what the board presents us,” general manager Tom Telesco said. “You really can’t manufacture anything. I think it’s a really good group of players. We have some depth there at that position.”
Tight end Gerald Everett returns to play the final season of a two-year, $12 million contract. Last season, Everett produced a career-best performance with 58 receptions for 555 yards and four touchdowns.
“That guy was a weapon for us,” Staley said.
Behind Everett, however, the Chargers have much to prove with Donald Parham Jr., Tre' McKitty and Stone Smartt.
The Bolts re-signed Parham to a two-year, $2.5 million deal in March. An undrafted free agent in 2019, Parham suffered a serious concussion in December of 2021 that sidelined him for the remainder of that season. He then spent 11 games sidelined because of another concussion and a nagging hamstring injury in 2022.
“He didn't get a chance to show himself last year, but we think that that guy's a weapon,” Staley said. “In 2021, one of the reasons why we were such a prolific offense was because of the role that he had in it. We're excited to get him back.”
McKitty, a third-round pick in 2021, returns for a third season. After demonstrating a knack for blocking, the Chargers were optimistic about his potential following his rookie season, but he took a step back in Year 2.
“We have to get him back rolling,” Staley said. “But we have confidence in him.”
Smartt, a 2022 undrafted free agent, also returns for a second season -- he appeared in seven games and caught four passes for 17 yards as a rookie.
“He's very athletic, has a lot of pass-catching traits that are exciting,” Staley said. "He's also a four-core special teamer."
Kellen Moore, entering his first season as the Chargers' offensive coordinator after holding the same position with the Dallas Cowboys for the past four years, is known for favoring the tight end spot in his scheme.
“The tight end room is a very rare room and it's a very important room for an offense because they're part of every aspect of the game,” Moore explained. “The run game, they're right in there with the O-line in the run-game component and the techniques. They're in the pass game, obviously. With the QBs, at times they're a protector, even in the play-action game and whatnot. Those guys have to be able to do a lot of different things.”
With the Cowboys, Moore ran 12 personnel -- an offense that features one running back and two tight ends -- 21% of the time, which was the 12th highest in the NFL.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have operated in 12 personnel on 18% of their plays the last three seasons with quarterback Justin Herbert, which ranks 20th in the NFL.
Moore provided a reminder that despite his past use of tight ends, he is willing to adapt.
“We'll do whatever suits us best as we kind of build this thing,” Moore said. “I am excited about the guys we have.”
He also expressed optimism that the Bolts’ current group of tight ends can play at a high level.
“Gerald has done a tremendous job,” Moore said. “Then, we have this younger group that we're really excited about just developing these guys. Giving them roles and opportunities. I think the cool thing about football is that you can play it in a lot of different ways. There's not just one way to do it. We find what these guys do really well and try to enhance those things.”