Los Angeles Chargers’ $24.3 million free agent poised to surpass last year’s rookie breakout during 2026 NFL season
Move over Oronde Gadsden II and David Njoku. For the Los Angeles Chargers, the 2026 NFL season is free agent TE Charlie Kolar’s time to shine.
The Los Angeles Chargers could have a new star in the making at tight end.
Charlie Kolar, the former Baltimore Ravens tight end who signed a three-year, $24.3 million deal in free agency, is the latest Chargers player generating buzz as a breakout candidate for the 2026 NFL season.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper named Kolar as Los Angeles’ top breakout pick, and for good reason. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound pass catcher emerged as an elite run blocker in Baltimore but never received consistent targets in the passing game. That is expected to change in a big way with the Chargers this fall.
Kolar spent his time with the Ravens playing behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, which severely limited his opportunities as a receiver. He has never caught more than 10 passes in a single NFL season, and his career high in receiving yards sits at just 142. Those numbers don’t tell the full story, though. During his college career at Iowa State, Kolar totaled 157 receptions for 2,044 yards and 20 touchdowns in 36 games. The production was there before Baltimore. The talent has always been there.
Here’s what could fuel Kolar’s expanded role in the Chargers’ offense
The worst-kept secret in the NFL is that teams are expected to shift even further toward 13 personnel (three-tight-end sets) during the upcoming season. It is the latest schematic evolution across the league, and one that plays directly into Los Angeles’ roster construction.
Kolar will share the tight end room with Oronde Gadsden and David Njoku. That feels like more of the same opportunity problems as he saw in Baltimore. Njoku is a salty veteran with a lot of receiving success. Gadsden displayed explosive playmaking ability as a rookie last season, giving the Chargers a dynamic weapon in the passing game. Adding Kolar to that mix gives Los Angeles a three-tight-end grouping that few defenses will be equipped to handle.
Even in his best season with the Ravens, Kolar logged only a 30% share of offensive snaps in 2025. He saw just 15 targets as a receiver during the course of the regular season. Mike McDaniel’s scheme is built to change that. The outside zone run game, paired with the explosive play of running backs Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell, is designed to stretch defenses and create mismatches in the passing game. That is precisely the environment where a tight end with Kolar’s size and receiving background can thrive.
Jim Harbaugh has often wanted to lean into the run game as the foundation of his offense, and the Chargers have the personnel to do exactly that. With defenses loading up to stop Hampton and Mitchell, Kolar becomes a nightmare matchup working out of the slot or from an inline alignment.
A strong offseason could accelerate Kolar’s development in Los Angeles
Kolar has had a strong showing during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Mainly, with opportunities to extend his work in the passing game and evolve as a pass catcher. He has shown great chemistry with starting quarterback Justin Herbert so far. That is a good sign for his chances of carving out a significant role in the offense.
At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, Kolar presents a mismatch that defensive coordinators will struggle to account for. It’s particularly tough with a scheme that already demands attention from safeties and linebackers in run support. He could very well emerge as the No. 1 tight end for Los Angeles.
Despite never being a consistent target in Baltimore’s passing attack, Kolar has “untapped potential” as a receiver. If the league’s shift toward 13 personnel takes hold the way evaluators expect, Harbaugh and McDaniel have both the scheme and the motivation to make him a focal point of the offense in 2026.