Before the regular season, I mentioned how the Chargers’ tight end group was a sneaky strength of the team.
On Sunday, the entire unit backed up my words, playing a crucial role in the victory over the Eagles.
Jared Cook, the veteran of the crop, finished with four catches for 48 yards. In addition, Cook caught the two-point conversion after Justin Herbert’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Donald Parham had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Parham made a monstrous catch over Darius Slay. Soon after, Parham made an agile move in space and put a stiff arm on Slay to find the end zone.
Stephen Anderson posted a season-high four catches for 39 yards and a score. But his work goes beyond the box score.
Anderson served as a key blocker, both in pass protection and on the ground. Furthermore, he pushed Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler beyond the marker on a pair of fourth-down situations.
Rookie Tre’ McKitty has been active the past two games. While he only played six snaps this past weekend, it is clear that he will develop a more of a role as an inline blocker as the season goes on.
Credit also goes to offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who was the one who drew up the play designs to get the tight ends consistently open in space for Herbert’s disposal.
“They make our offense so much more dynamic,” Herbert said of the tight ends.
