Chargers predicted to trade $14 million veteran after Oronde Gadsden emergence

Billy Heyen

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Chargers predicted to trade $14 million veteran after Oronde Gadsden emergence image

The Los Angeles Chargers have a new star.

Oronde Gadsden II, the rookie tight end out of Syracuse, has emerged quickly as a key component to the present and future in L.A.

That creates an opportunity to cash in elsewhere at the tight end position now that Gadsden has quickly made it his own.

The trade candidate: Will Dissly. He signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Chargers, but his future seems less promising than it did, at least as far as having a key role.

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ESPN's Chargers beat writer, Kris Rhim, thinks a Dissly deal would make sense before the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.

"The Chargers signed him ahead of the 2024 season for his blocking prowess, and he exceeded expectations as a blocker and pass catcher," Rhim writes. "He finished third on the team in receptions (50) and fourth in yards (481). This season has been different. Dissly sat out three games because of a knee injury, and rookie Oronde Gadsden II has emerged as a productive pass catcher. Tyler Conklin and Tucker Fisk have filled in Dissly's blocking role, making him potentially expendable. He was a healthy inactive in Week 8."

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The best part of Dissly for an acquiring team is that he's proven. You know what you're getting when Dissly walks into your building and then onto the field.

For the Chargers, this would all be about a reallocation of resources. Now that it appears they've got themselves an answer at tight end, Dissly could be dealt for a draft pick that could eventually be used to plug a different hole.

A surplus can be a good thing at deadline time, and it might mean Dissly is on the move.

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Contributing Writer