LOS ANGELES -- In his first news conference as the Chargers new tight ends coach, one of the first things Chandler Henley pointed to was the offense's goal of creating "run-pass conflict."
Henley knows offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's offense much better than most in the Chargers building. He spent the past four seasons with McDaniel, who was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, beginning as the assistant quarterbacks coach, then a senior offensive assistant and finally a run game specialist in his final year.
At the crux of that run-pass conflict -- Henley said -- is the tight end position, which is on the front end of the run game and just as involved in the passing offense.
Chargers tight end David Njoku embodies that tension.
Njoku signed a one-year deal worth up to $8 million last week, to put together what on paper is the best tight end room the Chargers have had in the Harbaugh era.
Njoku, 29, said he chose the Chargers for the fit, emphasizing McDaniel and quarterback Justin Herbert. He's been one of the league's best tight ends at yards after catch for the past decade, and the Chargers will look to capitalize on Njoku and the rest of this tight end room's skills in Year 1 in ways this offense hasn't been previously.
"When he's in the game, people already know who he is; he's also going to help it open up for other people," Henley said.
"I just think the overall skill set and how he complements the other guys that are in the room, I think, is why it was so exciting to get him here because anytime you can add a nine, 10-year vet, I mean, that's valuable experience that a guy like [tight end Oronde Gadsden] can learn from."
In many ways, McDaniel is the complete opposite of former Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman -- from the way he speaks at a news conference to his outfits to his offensive style.
But there are similarities; the two are some of the best at creating effective rushing schemes, albeit McDaniel's from zone and Roman's from the gap scheme, and both have used heavy offensive personnel to have success.
The way these two use it, however, is very different. While Roman would use heavy forces to overwhelm defenses, McDaniel would use them to confuse them.
"All defenses are trying to do is they're trying to guess a play they don't know," McDaniel said. "The one thing that I can state with certainty is that there'll be a blend of running pass and we'll be trying to maximize the conflict that we put defenses in."
As the Ravens' offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022, Roman used 12 personnel (two tight ends) 14% of the time, building one of the NFL's most dominant rushing offenses. That number lowered significantly in Los Angeles, as injuries and putrid offensive line play changed Roman's approach. In his two seasons, he used 12 personnel just 6% of the time.
McDaniel doubled the Chargers' recent number in his four seasons in Miami, using 12 personnel 12% of the time, creating some of the league's most explosive offenses. This means that Njoku and Gadsden could be featured much more than tight ends have been in this offense in years, though it is not a guarantee.
"I think the best offenses cater to the players that have the existing skill sets and evolve to what their talents are," McDaniel said.
In Miami, McDaniel's offenses exploited matchups and played to their strengths, which saw wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle experiencing the best seasons of their careers, while tight ends were on the back burner. Tight ends ranked last in targets in McDaniel's first two seasons and 24th in 2025, but in 2024 they ranked seventh, thanks to the emergence of Jonnu Smith.
That year, Smith had career highs in targets (111), receptions (88) and yards (884). But much of his production came after the catch; he was one of four tight ends with over 500 yards after the catch that year, finishing with 505. Smith's breakout season came largely from the slot, where he had the second-most yards after the catch among tight ends.
Njoku is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, an injury-marred year when he finished with his lowest yards (293) and receptions (33) since 2020. Still, Njoku and Smith have similar strengths, and it's realistic to envision him carving out a similar role in this offense if defenses make McDaniel feature the position as he did in 2024.
Since entering the league in 2017, Njoku has averaged 5.6 yards after the catch, third most among tight ends with 500 targets. Njoku spent much of his time detached from the formation like Smith, with the third most runs from the slot among Browns' pass catchers last year despite playing only 11 games.
Still, Smith's season in Miami was an anomaly with McDaniel, who has been boastful about the Chargers' wide receiving corps, saying last month that he should expect to have career highs across the board. But his history shows that McDaniel's offense will adjust depending on the defense, and that could mean a big year for Njoku, or the Chargers' other tight ends.
"We can be destructive," Njoku said. "We have the tools, we have the keys, we have players to do it all, so it's up to us to put it all together."