The Chargers probably will need to sign a tight end, and Antonio Gates looks like the most likely option. There isn’t much else out there. Marcedes Lewis, Julius Thomas, Coby Fleener, Gary Barnidge and Brent Celek, I think, are the best available free agents.
Thomas has really tailed off in recent years. Coby Fleener has suffered five concussions, and there was a story that went by a few weeks back indicating he still hasn’t completed the league’s concussion protocol.
A handful of teams, having drafted or signed tight ends, could be willing to trade tight ends that might potentially interest Los Angeles, and I would put Richard Rodgers (Eagles), Maxx Williams (Ravens) and Erik Swoope (Colts) on that list.
But more likely it will probably be Gates. He at least knows the offense and has worked with Philip Rivers for years. But he ain’t what he used to be. He’ll be 38 next month and is a shell of what he used to be.
Gates averaged only 6.1 yards per pass play last year, 4th-worst among tight ends with at least 50 targets. He’s just not in the same league as Hunter Henry.
| TIGHT ENDS, YARDS PER TARGET (2017) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD | Pct | Avg/T |
| Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 105 | 69 | 1,084 | 15.7 | 8 | 65.7% | 10.3 |
| Vernon Davis, Wash. | 69 | 43 | 648 | 15.1 | 3 | 62.3% | 9.4 |
| Hunter Henry, LAC | 62 | 45 | 579 | 12.9 | 4 | 72.6% | 9.3 |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 122 | 83 | 1,038 | 12.5 | 8 | 68.0% | 8.5 |
| George Kittle, S.F. | 63 | 43 | 515 | 12.0 | 2 | 68.3% | 8.2 |
| Austin Hooper, Atl. | 65 | 49 | 526 | 10.7 | 3 | 75.4% | 8.1 |
| Jared Cook, Oak. | 86 | 54 | 688 | 12.7 | 2 | 62.8% | 8.0 |
| Cameron Brate, T.B. | 77 | 48 | 591 | 12.3 | 6 | 62.3% | 7.7 |
| Charles Clay, Buff. | 74 | 49 | 558 | 11.4 | 2 | 66.2% | 7.5 |
| Zach Ertz, Phil. | 110 | 74 | 824 | 11.1 | 8 | 67.3% | 7.5 |
| Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 111 | 74 | 807 | 10.9 | 3 | 66.7% | 7.3 |
| Seth Devalve, Clev. | 58 | 33 | 395 | 12.0 | 1 | 56.9% | 6.8 |
| Eric Ebron, Det. | 86 | 53 | 574 | 10.8 | 4 | 61.6% | 6.7 |
| Benjamin Watson, Balt. | 79 | 61 | 522 | 8.6 | 4 | 77.2% | 6.6 |
| Stephen Anderson, Hou. | 52 | 25 | 342 | 13.7 | 1 | 48.1% | 6.6 |
| Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 81 | 57 | 532 | 9.3 | 8 | 70.4% | 6.6 |
| Tyler Kroft, Cin. | 62 | 42 | 404 | 9.6 | 7 | 67.7% | 6.5 |
| Jason Witten, Dall. | 87 | 63 | 560 | 8.9 | 5 | 72.4% | 6.4 |
| David Njoku, Clev. | 60 | 32 | 386 | 12.1 | 4 | 53.3% | 6.4 |
| Jack Doyle, Ind. | 108 | 80 | 690 | 8.6 | 4 | 74.1% | 6.4 |
| Evan Engram, NYG | 115 | 64 | 722 | 11.3 | 6 | 55.7% | 6.3 |
| Julius Thomas, Mia. | 62 | 41 | 388 | 9.5 | 3 | 66.1% | 6.3 |
| Antonio Gates, LAC | 52 | 30 | 316 | 10.5 | 3 | 57.7% | 6.1 |
| Jesse James, Pitt. | 63 | 43 | 372 | 8.7 | 3 | 68.3% | 5.9 |
| Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 96 | 57 | 520 | 9.1 | 10 | 59.4% | 5.4 |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ | 74 | 50 | 357 | 7.1 | 3 | 67.6% | 4.8 |
Gates was a far more dynamic player 10 years earlier, averaging 8.4 yards per play.
| TIGHT ENDS, YARDS PER TARGET (2007) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD | Pct | Avg/T |
| Miller, Heath, Pitt. | 61 | 47 | 566 | 12.0 | 7 | 77.0% | 9.3 |
| Lee, Donald, G.B. | 63 | 48 | 575 | 12.0 | 6 | 76.2% | 9.1 |
| Scheffler, Tony, Den. | 65 | 49 | 549 | 11.2 | 5 | 75.4% | 8.4 |
| Antonio Gates, S.D. | 117 | 75 | 984 | 13.1 | 9 | 64.1% | 8.4 |
| Daniels, Owen, Hou. | 94 | 63 | 768 | 12.2 | 3 | 67.0% | 8.2 |
| Clark, Desmond, Chi. | 67 | 44 | 545 | 12.4 | 4 | 65.7% | 8.1 |
| Witten, Jason, Dall. | 141 | 96 | 1,145 | 11.9 | 7 | 68.1% | 8.1 |
| Gonzalez, Tony, K.C. | 154 | 99 | 1,172 | 11.8 | 5 | 64.3% | 7.6 |
| Winslow, Kellen, Clev. | 148 | 82 | 1,106 | 13.5 | 5 | 55.4% | 7.5 |
| Smith, Alex, T.B. | 53 | 32 | 385 | 12.0 | 3 | 60.4% | 7.3 |
| Cooley, Chris, Wash. | 110 | 66 | 786 | 11.9 | 8 | 60.0% | 7.1 |
| Lewis, Marcedes, Jac. | 57 | 37 | 391 | 10.6 | 2 | 64.9% | 6.9 |
| Baker, Chris, NYJ | 61 | 41 | 409 | 10.0 | 3 | 67.2% | 6.7 |
| Shockey, Jeremy, NYG | 93 | 57 | 619 | 10.9 | 3 | 61.3% | 6.7 |
| Miller, Zach, Oak. | 69 | 44 | 444 | 10.1 | 3 | 63.8% | 6.4 |
| McMichael, Randy, St.L. | 67 | 39 | 429 | 11.0 | 3 | 58.2% | 6.4 |
| Crumpler, Alge, Atl. | 70 | 42 | 444 | 10.6 | 5 | 60.0% | 6.3 |
| Clark, Dallas, Ind. | 100 | 58 | 616 | 10.6 | 11 | 58.0% | 6.2 |
| Martin, David, Mia. | 50 | 34 | 303 | 8.9 | 2 | 68.0% | 6.1 |
| Johnson, Eric, N.O. | 63 | 48 | 378 | 7.9 | 2 | 76.2% | 6.0 |
| Davis, Vernon, S.F. | 85 | 52 | 509 | 9.8 | 4 | 61.2% | 6.0 |
| Olsen, Greg, Chi. | 66 | 39 | 391 | 10.0 | 2 | 59.1% | 5.9 |
| Scaife, Bo, Tenn. | 78 | 46 | 421 | 9.2 | 1 | 59.0% | 5.4 |
| King, Jeff, Car. | 80 | 46 | 406 | 8.8 | 2 | 57.5% | 5.1 |
| Sypniewski, Quinn, Balt. | 52 | 34 | 246 | 7.2 | 1 | 65.4% | 4.7 |
—Ian Allan