Oronde Gadsden II Now Key Part Of Chargers' Offense

Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II was outstanding in Sunday's Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It marked the second consecutive game that he made a sizable impact on the Chargers' offense. Gadsden has quickly become a go-to weapon for Justin Herbert.

Gadsden recorded seven receptions for a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown. Despite Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen seeing significantly more targets (15 and 14, respectively) than Gadsden (9) did, it was the rookie playmaker who led the Chargers in receiving yards. He was the most efficient member of the passing attack.

Gadsden's touchdown occurred on 3rd-and-goal in the fourth quarter with the Chargers trailing by multiple scores. Herbert avoided the pass rush, stepped up, and scrambled to extend the pocket. He located a wide-open Gadsden, who deserved his garbage-time score as a reward for a historic day.

Gadsden's 164 yards set a single-game Chargers rookie tight end record. It was also the most single-game yards by any rookie tight end since 1985. Gadsden's performance also produced the fourth-most yards in Chargers position history, with his 164 yards being a franchise-high since the legendary Antonio Gates produced 167 yards in Week 13 of 2009.

Gadsden's most impressive rep wasn't his touchdown. On this season-high 53-yard gain, Gadsden runs a crisp route while fighting through a holding penalty to make a quality contested grab. He then utilizes his athleticism and strength to break several tackles en route to an explosive amount of yards after catch. Unsurprisingly, he averaged nine yards after the catch, 5.4 above expectation (3.6).

It was an appropriate follow-up to Gadsden's breakout Week 6 showing that saw him record 68 receiving yards in a win over the Miami Dolphins. Over the previous two contests, Gadsden has combined to record 14 catches on 17 targets for 232 yards and a touchdown. Despite having so many passing-down weapons at his disposal, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has had to carve out a role for the rookie playmaker in his game plan.

Gadsden posted a team-best EPA per play (Expected Points Added) of 0.64 versus the Colts, per RBSDM. The Chargers' offense was arguably most dangerous and efficient when Gadsden was being targeted by Herbert. That's why he's received so many opportunities in recent weeks despite sharing the field with McConkey, Allen, and Quentin Johnston.

Gadsden's athleticism is so evident. He was the Chargers' fastest ball-carrier, reaching a speed of 19.84 mph, per Next Gen Stats. As a route runner, Gadsden created 3.08 average yards of separation on his targets. That's better than the league-average mark (2.98 yards), and was second-best on the Chargers, trailing just McConkey by the slimmest of margins (3.15 yards).

The Chargers landed an absolute steal, drafting Gadsden in the fifth round (No. 165 overall). The rookie playmaker is currently playing his way into a weekly role. Gadsden has been among the most productive pass catchers in the league over the past two weeks while performing like a long-term solution for Herbert.