The Los Angeles Chargers’ 0-2 start to the season keeps getting worse. Right now, Jim Harbaugh’s squad is essentially depleted of their top, reliable tight ends, David Njoku and Charlie Kolar.
After the terrible loss to the Raiders, Harbaugh placed both Njoku (fibula) on injury reserve, while Kolar (forearm) managed to dodge the IR, but is still expected to miss some time. Meaning Njoku will be out for at least a month, while Kolar’s return time remains up in the air.
That left them with exactly one healthy tight end on their squad, Oronde Gadsden II, before the Chargers pressed the panic button and signed Jaguars‘ Hayden Rucci for emergency depth on Sep. 22.
They still have a vacant roster spot on their roster, and if they manage to pull the trigger on a trade for a young, plug-and-play tight end, it might just turn things around.
Chargers Urged to Make a Call to Cowboys for Luke Schoonmaker
The Cowboys’ 2023 third-round pick Luke Schoonmaker hasn’t made any real noise in his time in Dallas, and if Jerry Jones gets a tempting enough offer, he won’t hesitate to trade him.
The Chargers, in exchange, get a TE who can immediately step in as either of their TEs’ replacement and handle the Sunday Night pressure with all the 0-2 start pressure the team is under.
Cowboys ON SI’s Mike Moratias sees the trade being a win-win for both teams.
“Schoonmaker has shown some chops as a receiver, but that’s about it. He certainly has not lived up to his second-round billing, and he has now fallen all the way to No. 3 in the pecking order behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford, who was extended this offseason.”
“With Schoonmaker in the final year of his contract and seemingly not in the team’s long-term plans and not having much of a role on a weekly basis, the Cowboys would be wise to unload him if they can before he leaves for nothing in 2026,” Moratias writes.
Jim Harbaugh Shares Obvious Connection with Schoonmaker
More than just their tight end situation, Schoonmaker shares an old bond with Harbaugh from their time at Michigan.
Harbaugh loves players he knows inside and out. Schoonmaker was his tight end at Michigan, meaning he already knows the schemes Harbaugh loves making. Plus, they need any help they can to get Mike McDaniel’s offense back on track.
If a trade does fall through, Schoonmaker would instantly be the most experienced tight end on the Chargers’ roster, at least until Njoku and Kolar make their way back.
And while he doesn’t offer much outside of some pass-catching ability and hasn’t shown much promise with the Cowboys, he did win the Joe Moore Award for blocking unit honors under Harbaugh at Michigan. Maybe he works under him this time too. That could be massive for a roster that’s bleeding depth and needs any help they can get to get them out of being stuck in the mud at 0-2.
Plus, his rookie contract runs at a very manageable cap hit through 2026. It’s a low-risk financial gamble for a front office trying to patch a sinking ship.
Chargers Urged to Trade for Cowboys’ TE Amid David Njoku & Charlie Kolar Injury Blow