David Njoku

Cleveland Browns training camp 2026: TE and FB preview, who replaces David Njoku?

Next up on our training camp preview is the tight end position. There are fix tight ends on the roster, but after the departure of David Njoku , all we really have confidence in is Harold Fannin , who had an outstanding rookie season. Who is the next man up, though? We also check out the team’s fullback candidates heading into camp. Height: 6-4 | Weight: 241 lbs | Age: 22 Experience: 2 years | College: Bowling Green Browns fans are expecting big things from Harold Fannin this year. After his impressive rookie season with 731 yards receiving, fans are predicting him to be in the 800-1,000 yard receiving range. For some of the league’s elite tight ends, that’s not too far-fetched. In fact, Travis Kelce has done it all 11 seasons he’s been in the NFL. However, David Njoku , who was viewed as an explosive receiving tight end for Cleveland, only surpassed 800 yards once in his 9 years with the team. It’s easy to jump to that being more indicative of the Browns’ quarterback situation as opposed to the talent of the tight end himself. Nonetheless, the most important part here is that Fannin is viewed as a big-time weapon for this offense. As a rookie, he showed a nice mix of acrobatic catches and the strength to generate yards after the catch that didn’t seem like they were even there. If there’s one negative on his receiving game as a rookie, it would be that, in my opinion, he sometimes dropped the easy ones. To grow his game over time, he’ll need to be a better in-line blocking tight end. It took Njoku a few years to get to that point. For now, we’ll see how Todd Monken’s offense utilizes Fannin. Will he be kept in the slot more often like he was as a rookie, with one of the other guys on the depth chart taking on a heavier blocking role? Final Roster Odds: 100% Height: 6-4 | Weight: 250 lbs | Age: 26 Experience: 4 years | College: Wake Forest I usually try to have a loose ranking in these previews for how the depth chart or competitions may unfold, but that isn’t true for the tight end position from the second spot onward. The backup roles after Harold Fannin are wide open. But let’s try to focus back in on Blake Whiteheart here. Whiteheart was an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, but didn’t make their roster at the end of camp in 2024. The Browns added him, and he was off-and-on the team’s practice squad that year before being a backup tight end in 2025. He had maybe one semi-memorable catch in two years with Cleveland, having 8 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. He also contributed 10 tackles on special teams last year. Final Roster Odds: 40% Height: 6-4 | Weight: 245 lbs | Age: 28 Experience: 6 years | College: Nebraska Jack Stoll was an undrafted free agent in 2021, and spent the first three years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles . After that, he’s tried to find a home with the Giants, Dolphins, and Saints . He is not much of a receiving tight end — last year with the Saints, he started 4 games, but had 6 catches for 46 yards and 1 touchdown. Prior to that, his highest receiving totals was in 2022, when he had 11 catches for 123 yards. Stoll has been relied on as a blocking tight end, and the expectation is that he’ll fill that same void in Cleveland. According to Pro Football Focus, Stoll was a Top-15 pass blocking tight end in 2025. It’s not unheard of for career blocking tight ends to see a bigger receiving role, but we’re assuming he won’t be the complementary receiving tight end to Harold Fannin — but he could be the lead candidate for the blocking role. Final Roster Odds: 75% Height: 6-5 | Weight: 250 lbs | Age: 24 Experience: Rookie | College: Cincinnati If there’s a top candidate for the complementary receiving tight end, it might be rookie Joe Royer . He finished out his college career with Cincinnati, but played several seasons at Ohio State, so many fans will be familiar with him. Taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft , Dane Brugler had him as the 12th-ran [... truncated ...]

Position Battles That Matter for Fantasy in Training Camp: QB/RB

By this time next week, all 32 NFL teams will have reported to training camp for the 2026 season. Camp content flooding the internet is a major indicator that fantasy football drafts are right around the corner. Before we start building championship rosters, it’s important to monitor training camp battles at each position for certain teams in order to get a grasp on the value of certain players. Let’s look at some key quarterback and running back training camp battles that are the most relevant for fantasy football purposes. Candidates: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel Baker Mayfield in 2020 is the last time the Browns have had one quarterback start every game in a single season. Aside from Mayfield, Cleveland has had 12 different quarterbacks start at least one game over the last five seasons. That includes Deshaun Watson , Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel , all of whom will compete for the starting job in 2026, as well. New head coach Todd Monken did preview this training camp battle during OTAs stating that the Browns had “two starting-level quarterbacks,” referring to Watson and Sanders. To be blunt, it’s difficult to get excited about either of the two and, as a result, any of the pass catchers in Cleveland. Watson is returning from two Achilles tears in October 2024 and January 2025. Sanders started seven games last season, averaging just 193.2 passing yards per game. The Browns did draft KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston with the 24 th and 39 th picks, respectively, but Jerry Jeudy did draw 106 targets last season and, as of now, is still on the team. Harold Fannin Jr. had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever for a tight end, recording a 72/731/6 receiving line on 107 targets. He is probably the safest pick regardless of which quarterback is out there for the Browns. Fannin no longer has to compete with David Njoku for snaps. He also averaged 13.5 PPR points per game with Sanders at quarterback, compared to 10.5 points per game with a combination of Gabriel and Joe Flacco . Candidates: Fernando Mendoza, Kirk Cousins Las Vegas has a new face of the franchise in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, they signed veteran Kirk Cousins just a few weeks before selecting Mendoza. This is significant especially in consideration to minority owner Tom Brady ’s opinion on rookie quarterbacks. He’s on record back in 2024 expressing his thoughts that it’s “a tragedy that we’re forcing these rookies to play early.” There’s really no reason for Mendoza to take the field as a rookie. Las Vegas is still a work in progress in regard to legitimately competing with the Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos in the AFC West. The Raiders also don’t have much beyond Brock Bowers in the passing game. Tre Tucker , Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech top the depth chart at wide receiver. So, while there is still an opportunity at a training camp battle between Mendoza and Cousins, it’s likely the latter who is out there in Week 1. Based on what we saw now Vegas head coach, but then Seattle offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, do with the Seahawks’ offense last season, Bowers and Ashton Jeanty are still priority picks for fantasy football even if Cousins starts the entirety of the season. Falcons candidates: Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. Vikings candidates: Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy Tua Tagovailoa is owed $54 million in guaranteed money this season. However, the Miami Dolphins are on the hook for just over $52 million of it following his release. Meanwhile, the Falcons, who signed Tua to a one-year deal, paid just $1.215 million to do so. It’s a bargain for a team in desperate need of someone to support a star-studded group of offensive playmakers that includes Bijan Robinson , Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. While there may appear to be a training camp battle between Tua and Michael Penix Jr., it’s hard to imagine Penix as the Week 1 starter after tearing his ACL last November; the third of [... truncated ...]

Keaton Mitchell Could be Low-Cost Trade Target

Keaton Mitchell could be a breakout candidate in 2026 due to a clearer path to carries with the Chargers

Backfield Kombat!!! | 2026’s High-Stakes Training Camp Battles to Watch

Training camp battles loom for several teams, particularly at tight end for the Chargers with additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku alongside returning Oronde Gadsden. In Carolina, Chuba Hubbard faces competition from a healthy Jonathon Brooks for the starting running back job. Meanwhile, the Browns will see Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders competing for the starting quarterback position

Chargers TE room completely molded in Jim Harbaugh’s ‘square-jawed image’

For years, Jim Harbaugh’s preferred brand of football felt almost old-fashioned. While much of the NFL chased lighter personnel groupings, spread formations and smaller, faster defenses, Harbaugh continued to build offenses around physicality, versatility and tight ends. Now, the rest of the league appears to be catching up. One of the more intriguing observations from Albert Breer’s latest offseason notebook centered on the Chargers’ revamped tight end room. Breer suggested Los Angeles ’ overhaul at the position could end up being one of the most important developments of the offseason — and it speaks to something much larger than a player or position group. The Chargers finally are becoming a complete reflection of Harbaugh’s football identity. You can see it throughout the roster. There’s first-round running back Omarion Hampton , a physical downhill runner capable of carrying a heavy workload. There are massive offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater . The defense is built around rugged edge players including Khalil Mack , Tuli Tuipulotu and Akheem Mesidor . And then there are the tight ends. Breer highlighted the additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku alongside second-year hybrid weapon Oronde Gadsden II. Kolar arrives from the Ravens as one of the league’s better blocking tight ends and gives the Chargers a true in-line presence. Njoku can align all over the formation, creating matchup problems while allowing offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel greater flexibility in how he deploys personnel. That flexibility has always been central to Harbaugh’s offenses. At Stanford, tight ends were featured weapons. Future NFL players Coby Fleener , Zach Ertz , Levine Toilolo and Jim Dray all flourished under Harbaugh. At Michigan, Jake Butt became a Mackey Award winner, while Colston Loveland developed into one of the nation’s premier tight ends. Harbaugh’s offenses consistently treated the position as more than an extra blocker. Tight ends were foundational pieces capable of influencing the run game and passing attack. What’s changed is that the NFL is beginning to value those players similarly. League-wide usage of 12 personnel — one running back and two tight ends — has climbed from 17.3% of offensive plays in 2022 to more than 22% in 2025. Even more dramatically, 13 personnel packages featuring three tight ends exploded last season, increasing nearly 50% from the previous year. The catalyst may have been right up the 405. Sean McVay’s Rams shocked the league by leaning heavily into 13 personnel during the second half of the 2025 season. The results were devastating. Matthew Stafford threw 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions from those looks, forcing defenses to choose between matching size against the run or risking favorable passing matchups. This created a catch-22 for most teams. The Rams also generated positive expected points added (EPA) on more than 50% of their rushing attempts in 2025, becoming just the second team since Pro Football Focus began tracking the metric in 2006 to reach that mark. The copycat effect was immediate. Twenty-two tight ends were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, the most since 2002. That’s where McDaniel’s arrival becomes particularly fascinating. McDaniel’s offenses in Miami weren’t rigidly built around tight ends, but they were remarkably adaptable. When the personnel justified it, the Dolphins became one of the NFL’s most efficient teams targeting the position, consistently ranking in the top 10 of the league in EPA per play. That marriage between Harbaugh and McDaniel could be exactly what makes the Chargers dangerous. Harbaugh provides the blueprint. McDaniel supplies the creativity. Together, they have assembled a roster capable of playing multiple styles without substituting personnel. They can line up in traditional formations and run power football. They can spread out defenses. They can force opponents into uncomfortable personnel decisions before the ball is [... truncated ...]

FA: David Njoku dropped

Drops: David Njoku

Browns ‘won the offseason’ with all their moves

The Cleveland Browns rarely have a quiet offseason. Such is the fate of a team trying to win the AFC North for the first time with no real certainty at the quarterback position. Out is former HC Kevin Stefanski , replaced by HC Todd Monken . Gone are long-standing veterans like DE Myles Garrett , OL Joel Bitonio , OL Wyatt Teller , and TE David Njoku . NFL free agenc y and the NFL draft saw the Browns remake their entire offensive line and add weapons for Monken’s new offense. The Garrett trade brought back DE Jared Vers e and draft capital to try to offset the loss of the team’s best player. According to Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, Cleveland’s offseason was the best in the NFL: The Top 10 is littered with bad teams who needed to improve, along with the Los Angeles Rams , Kansas City Chiefs , and San Francisco 49ers , assumed title contenders. Winning the offseason has rarely been a problem for the Browns. The key questions moving forward, as always, are whether they win games and whether they finally find the solution to the quarterback problem. For now, at least nationally, Cleveland is getting flowers for their offseason decisions

Omarion Hampton: Mike McDaniel will be "super good" for Chargers RBs

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert 's bid to change his footwork to better fit into offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's scheme has been of note this offseason, but McDaniel's arrival effects more than just the quarterback. McDaniel's offenses in Miami created a lot of big plays out of the backfield for De'Von Achane and that's something Chargers running back Omarion Hampton picked up on while doing research into what expect from the coach. Now that he's spent an offseason learning what McDaniel has planned for him and the team's other backs, Hampton is enthusiastic about what the future holds. "All the running backs like it a lot," Hampton said, via the team's website. "It's just figuring it out, the details of it. It's going to be super good for us." McDaniel's arrival isn't the only reason to feel better about the Chargers offense in 2025 — the offensive line should be healthier and tight end David Njoku gives them another weapon in the passing game — but it is the biggest one and it's clear that Hampton thinks it is going to be of particular benefit to his growth in his second NFL season

Omarion Hampton: Mike McDaniel will be "super good" for Chargers RBs

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s bid to change his footwork to better fit into offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme has been of note this offseason, but McDaniel’s arrival effects more than just the quarterback. McDaniel’s offenses in Miami created a lot of big plays out of the backfield for De’Von Achane and that’s something Chargers running back Omarion Hampton picked up on while doing research into what expect from the coach. Now that he’s spent an offseason learning what McDaniel has planned for him and the team’s other backs, Hampton is enthusiastic about what the future holds. “All the running backs like it a lot,” Hampton said, via the team’s website. “It’s just figuring it out, the details of it. It’s going to be super good for us.” McDaniel’s arrival isn’t the only reason to feel better about the Chargers offense in 2025 — the offensive line should be healthier and tight end David Njoku gives them another weapon in the passing game — but it is the biggest one and it’s clear that Hampton thinks it is going to be of particular benefit to his growth in his second NFL season

Can Keaton Mitchell Carve Out a Large Enough Role for a Fantasy Breakout?

Keaton Mitchell's potential for a fantasy breakout with the Chargers

Trade: Kimani Vidal ↔ David Njoku

Browns news: Team adds over $3 million in salary cap space, still have huge dead cap hits next 2 years

There are a number of key dates on the NFL calendar , which now basically stretches the entire year despite having the shortest regular season of the major sports in the United States. Cleveland Browns fans, who are often looking forward to what might be in the offseason, generally have a list of them handy someplace or are searching for them. The majority of the important ones from this year have come and gone: February 17: Beginning of franchise/transition tages February 23-March 2: NFL Scouting Combine March 9-11: Legal Tampering March 11: The 2026 League Year and free agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m April 6: Clubs, like the Browns, that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2025 regular season may begin offseason workout programs. April 23-25: NFL Draft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One date that is widely known but not on any official NFL schedule is June 1st. Better yet, “post-June 1st” because that is when salary cap math changes and big moves can be made. For Cleveland, that could mean a DE Myles Garrett trade . For the Philadelphia Eagles , the cap change allows them to more realistically trade WR AJ Brown . It is also when teams get salary cap relief from post-June 1st releases that they completed at the start of the NFL offseason. For the Browns, that includes the releases of TE David Njoku and OL Wyatt Teller , both of whom had void years on their contracts. As of Monday, Cleveland added $3.4 million to their salary cap, but still has huge dead cap for both players : Njoku 2026 Dead Cap Hit: $9,534,000 2027 Dead Cap Hit: $14,797,000 Teller 2026 Dead Cap Hit: $8,293,000 2027 Dead Cap Hit: $13,011,000 Those dead cap hits were expected, or at least acceptable, when the Browns signed both veterans to their contracts. The structure of the deals allowed Cleveland GM Andrew Berry to spend more money sooner, while spending a small percentage of the salary cap later on the same amount of cap hit, as we explained here : For example, $10 million spent on a $200 million cap costs 5% of the cap. The same $10 million costs just 4% of a $250 million cap. That is still a lot of dead cap money for two players signed to other teams this year, who will cost more next year as part of the post-June 1st release. Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system!

Browns ‘smartest’ offseason move wasn’t a big one, could be big, foundational

The Cleveland Browns 2026 NFL offseason has been a good one, overall . The big decisions were around revamping the Browns offensive line , the departures of TE David Njoku and OL Wyatt Teller , the expected retirement of OL Joel Bitonio , and the 2026 NFL draft class . It is still possible that Cleveland’s biggest move could be on the horizon with the potential selection of QB Brendan Sorsby in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft and/or trading DE Myles Garrett . For now, the Browns future looks bright, even without certainty at the quarterback position . Having already seen the 2025 NFL draft class produce and having high hopes for this year’s version, Cleveland fans are right to be excited, even if with some caution. According to Mike Sando of The Athletic , the Browns “smartest move” (at least that was what the email was titled) was trading down in the first round and still getting OL Spencer Fano: This move is less about Spencer Fano, the prospect Cleveland drafted at No. 9, and more about the Browns’ maneuvering to address massive issues on the offensive line. The team had already acquired veteran lineman Tytus Howard , among other reinforcements, heading into the draft. The Browns still needed all the line help they could get in the draft but still showed patience in the first round, maximizing value. Whether it was the team’s smartest move or just Sando’s favorite move they made (what the title of the article actually is), trading down and still getting the first offensive tackle off the board is solid work by GM Andrew Berry. Cleveland got the process right; now, Fano must prove to be a foundational piece of an offense as the team’s left tackle for the next decade or so. What Browns offseason move would you consider their “smartest”? Which is your “favorite”? Join Sando and share your thoughts on the Browns offseason in our comment section below

4 Chargers position battles that get underway in OTAs

Justin Herbert returned in time for OTAs this and Chargers have now begun their next step of the offseason calendar. Helmets are on and the team is ramping up their activity and preparation This offseason, the Chargers added veteran nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to the defensive tackle room. He’s a bonafide run-stopper with a surprising amount of success as a pocket-pusher over the years. After a down year with the Cardinals this past season, the hope is that Chargers’ coaching staff can once again get him back on the right track. Tomlinson joins a room with current incumbents Teair Tart and Jamaree Caldwell , on top of new fifth-round draft pick Nick Barrett. This room went from fairly shallow to basically at capacity. Add in former fourth-round pick Justin Eboigbe and this group is all of a sudden the most competitive on the team. Eboigbe showed some real improvement as a pass rusher in 2025. Caldwell also had his fair share of splash plays. The Bolts used an early pick on day three with Barrett for a reason. All of this is to say that, even with O’Leary expected to continue a rotation up front along the interior, there’s still only going to be so many snaps to go around. Tart will get everything he can handle after being signed a big extensions earlier this year, but the rest of the opportunities to come this year will surely be hard to come by. The tight end duo of Oronde Gadsden II and Charlie Kolar looked like an ideal 1-2 punch at the position once the latter was signed in free agency. The addition of veteran David Njoku all of a sudden muddies up the role and snap share of the two incumbents. Njoku is a tried-and-true starting tight end with a ton of experience in the league as the #1. Will he immediately unseat Gadsden as the presumed starter for the Chargers? Will he take some two-tight end snaps away from Kolar? A third body gives Mike McDaniel a third skillset to mix and match with his multi-tight end sets and we have to assume he’s going to take full advantage of that. The selection of Genesis Smith in this year’s draft immediately creates competition in a safety room that also needs to get younger. The Bolts selected R.J. Mickens in the seventh round of the 2024 draft and re-signed veteran Tony Jefferson this offseason. There are bodies here, but no one apart of Derwin James is going to be locked into the starting lineup. Even Elijah Molden isn’t safe. His play was very middling for most of 2025 and I believe the Chargers are preparing for him to potentially have hit his peak. Mickens flashed as a rookie, but Jefferson did the same at his advanced age. Both are valuable as depth, but does that make either of them and their potential snap shares safe from Smith’s addition? The latter was drafted for his rangy, free safety skillset which is in contrast to both Jefferson and Mickens. Can the latter two fend off the rookie for at least a season? We’re saving the best for last. Trevor Penning, Kayode Awosika , and Jake Slaughter are the three prominent names who should be duking it out for the role of starting at left guard. Right guard already seems to be secured by Cole Strange due to his experience in McDaniel’s system. Thus far in OTAs, it’s Awosika getting first-team reps with Trevor Penning reportedly not in attendance as of now. That may leave people questioning why Slaughter isn’t getting the first-team reps after being the Chargers’ second-round pick this year, but remember he’s hasn’t played a snap of guard since high school. Awosika is the veteran in this situation and it’s best for the offense to hit the ground running as much as possible right now and slotting the rookie in there would slow things down ever so much. Once all competitors are in the building, prepare for things to really take flight. Penning will fight like hell to earn a spot after the Saints sent him away. The former first-rounder has always played with a massive chip on his shoulder and the last thing he’ll do is keel over fo [... truncated ...]

Chargers TE David Njoku: We have the players, tools to do it all

Tight end David Njoku spent an extended time on the open market as a free agent before signing a one-year deal with the Chargers earlier this month. Njoku said on Tuesday that he “could’ve signed before the draft in other places,” but had his eye on the Chargers as a preferred destination because he believed it would be a “perfect fit” for his skills. He noted the presence of head coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and quarterback Justin Herbert as some of the leading reasons for that belief. While he hasn’t spent much time with his new team, it has been enough to reinforce Njoku’s feeling that he is in the right spot. “I feel like we can be destructive ,” Njoku said, via the team’s website. “We got the tools, we got the keys, we got the players to do it all. It’s up to us to put it all together.” Putting it all together has been an issue for the Chargers in the Herbert era as they have lost all three of their playoff appearances as a road team in the wild card round. The additions of McDaniel and Njoku are big parts of this year’s bid to author a happier ending

Oronde Gadsden II is the Chargers’ best-kept secret

I think I can, without a doubt, say that second-year tight end Oronde Gadsden II is one of the most exciting Chargers fans are looking forward to watching in 2026 after a great rookie season. He became a dangerous weapon for Justin Herbert once he cemented himself in the team’s starting lineup and will once again be looked upon to make plays under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Even with the host of other under-the-radar players across the Chargers, including some of their free-agent signings this offseason, Gadsden was actually named the team’s best-kept secret by Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski. Here’s what the analyst had to say: “ Oronde Gadsden II has always been a weapon in the passing game. At Syracuse, the tight end/oversized wide receiver posted two 900-plus yard seasons when healthy. The fact Gadsden entered the Los Angeles Chargers’ lineup as a rookie and caught 49 passes for 664 yards came as no surprise whatsoever. “ “ The 165th overall pick in last year’s draft should expect a bigger workload this fall. “ “ First, Keenan Allen hasn’t re-signed, which frees up 122 targets. Also, the organization brought in veteran tight end David Njoku on a one-year deal to be the primary in-line option. The Chargers can lean heavily on 12 personnel without losing any playmaking thanks to Gadsden and Njoku’s capabilities. “ “ The former has the potential to become Justin Herbert’s new security blanket and control the middle of the field. “ Gadsden was always going to be expected to take that next step in his sophomore season. That notion only gained further momentum when the Chargers added Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. However, the additions of tight ends Njoku and Charlie Kolar were not made without the idea that both would also be used as receiving threats, even if the latter is deemed one of the best blocking players in the league at his position. Still, as Sobleski highlighted above, Keenan Allen ’s absence from the offense means there’s well over 100 looks left on the table. The expectation remains that Gadsden is likely to lead the room in production by the end of the year, but now the Bolts have three very reliable players to be utilized in a number of ways. And heck, don’t be surprised to see all three of them on the field at the same time quite a bit throughout the season

Chargers open season against Cardinals, Raiders before grueling seven-game stretch

The Chargers essentially lived on an airplane last season, traveling more miles than any other NFL team. This season, they will have a long runway followed by a dramatically sharp ascent. They open against three first-time head coaches in succession, then face four Super Bowl-winning head coaches in a row. Their first three games are against Arizona (Mike LaFleur), Las Vegas (Klint Kubiak) and Buffalo (Joe Brady), before squaring off against Seattle (Mike Macdonald), Denver (Sean Payton), Kansas City (Andy Reid) and — after a week off — the Rams (Sean McVay). And it’s not as if the Chargers will be homebodies, as they have four coast-to-coast trips with road games at the Bills, Baltimore , Tampa Bay and Miami . So they will still be racking up the frequent-flier miles. Read more: Chargers agree to deal with former Cleveland tight end David Njoku The NFL made an effort to put some space between those cross-country games for the Chargers. “We’re always being sensitive, trying to make sure we're not pingponging a team across the country with travel to the East Coast and back,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. “So we try to make sure those trips are broken up where we can, and we’re not doing too much of that back and forth.” This marks the third season under Jim Harbaugh, who has had remarkable success at every stop in his coaching career but has yet to win a playoff game with the Chargers. Same goes for quarterback Justin Herbert , who was drafted in 2020 and is still looking for his inaugural postseason victory. SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl next February, and the Battle For Los Angeles in Week 8 when the Chargers play at the Rams, a rare meaningful matchup of the crosstown foes. The Chargers will play three preseason games, all Thursday night games against opponents they will face in the regular season. They will play at Houston on Aug. 13, followed by home games against San Francisco (Aug. 20) and the Rams (Aug. 27). All will be broadcast on CBS-LA. Here is a game-by-game look at the regular-season schedule (all times Pacific): Sept. 13, ARIZONA, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): It’s a gentle start against the rebuilding Cardinals, who figure to have Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in place of the familiar Kyler Murray , who is now with the Minnesota Vikings . The last time these teams played was in Arizona two years ago, and the Cardinals won, 17-15. Sept. 20, LAS VEGAS , 1:05 p.m. (CBS): Back-to-back home games for the Chargers, who opened last season in Brazil. The Chargers swept the Raiders last season. Could No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza be starting at quarterback for the Silver and Black? Sept. 27, at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (Fox): The first of four East Coast trips for the Chargers, who are stepping into a tough environment but at least won’t have to deal with a Buffalo winter. This is the start of a rugged seven-game stretch for the Chargers. Oct. 4, at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): The last time these teams played was 2023, so the rosters have pretty much turned over since then. Kenneth Walker III ran for 167 yards in that 37-23 win by the Seahawks . He was Super Bowl MVP last season and is now playing for Kansas City, so the Chargers will see enough of him. Oct. 11, DENVER, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): The Chargers and Broncos split last season, with each team holding serve at home. The Chargers won by three at SoFi, but the Broncos held their second-stringers to a mere field goal in the regular-season finale with Denver winning at home, 19-3. Oct. 18, at Kansas City, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): As is the case with the Buffalo game, the Chargers are sidestepping some potentially harsh weather. They beat the Chiefs in Brazil in last season’s opener, then lost by three at Arrowhead in Week 15. Oct. 25: Bye week. In recent years, the Chargers have almost always gotten their week off in the first half of the season. They had so many injuries last season, they could have used a week off every o [... truncated ...]

Chargers Daily Links: Wednesday Open Thread

Good morning, Chargers fans! You know what to do! And now for today’s links. Five things to know about the 2026 schedule release (Chargers.com) Mike McDaniel recently spoke on the current state of the Chargers offensive line (Chargers.com) Five things to know about David Njoku , the Chargers’ newest tight end (Chargers Wire) Chargers fans should be on the edge of their seats with the AFC West race heating up this offseason (Bolt Beat) Predicting every international contest during the 2026 regular season (CBS Sports) The Falcons will face the Bengals in Madrid this year (NFL.com) Bengals wideout Andrei Iosivas says that online abuse got to his head during the 2025 season (ESPN) Brian Burns is looking at the Giants defense as “his” unit this season (Pro Football Talk) All four teams in the NFC North should push for a playoff berth this season (Sports Illustrated) The Eagles will face the Cowboys on Thanksgiving (Bleacher Report)

Chargers agree to terms with David Njoku

Veteran tight end David Njoku has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers on a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $8 million. Njoku, a 2017 Pro Bowl selection, spent his previous nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns, where he recorded career highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns in 2023. He joins a Chargers offense that also features tight end Oronde Gadsden

Oronde Gadsden: Joined by Njoku

Oronde Gadsden will face increased competition for snaps and targets in 2026 following the addition of free agent David Njoku, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Chargers