Chargers make ridiculously underwhelming tight end move after losing David Njoku to IR

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Martinez, V. (2026, September 22). Chargers make ridiculously underwhelming tight end move after losing David Njoku to IR. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/sports/chargers-make-ridiculously-underwhelming-te-move-after-losing-david-njoku-to-ir/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-22 · by Valentina Martinez

Quick Summary

The Los Angeles Chargers signed practice squad tight end Hayden Rucci to their active roster after both David Njoku and Charlie Kolar were placed on injured reserve. With limited experience in the NFL, Rucci will likely not become the primary tight end; instead, Oronde Gadsden II is expected to take a larger role. The Chargers also have Evan Svoboda and Patrick Herbert (brother of quarterback Justin Herbert) on their practice squad as potential backups. This move comes amid a disappointing 0-2 start to the season and highlights the team's struggle with injuries, particularly in the tight end position.

Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Los Angeles Chargers signed tight end Hayden Rucci from the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad on Tuesday to address injuries to their tight ends, with both David Njoku and Charlie Kolar being placed on injured reserve. Rucci has played in just four NFL games, recording only a tackle on special teams while an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin after playing for the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers last season. The Chargers are struggling this season, starting with two losses despite opening their previous two seasons with wins. They have also faced injury issues affecting over half of their free-agent signings. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Gary Jennings to make room for Rucci on the active roster.

Written for “Chargers Tight End Move” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Chargers Tight End Move

Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 9% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Chargers sign TE Hayden Rucci from Jaguars' practice squad, waive WR Gary Jennings Same event

Toronto Star

Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100

Chargers place primary tight ends on injured reserve as nightmare season continues Different event

New York Post

Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100

“While both articles discuss the Chargers placing David Njoku and Charlie Kolar on injured reserve, Article B describes a subsequent action by the team in signing Hayden Rucci to the active roster, which is a separate event.”

A knee injury sends David Njoku to IR as the Chargers juggle a growing injury list Different event

Toronto Star

Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 64/100

“While both articles discuss injuries to Chargers' tight ends, Article A focuses on signing a replacement after losing players to IR, while Article B details the injury that led to Njoku being placed on IR.”

Justin Herbert’s brother Patrick set for NFL debut after Chargers injury wave Different event

New York Post

Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100

“While both articles mention injuries to Chargers tight ends and potential elevations from the practice squad, they describe different stages of events around player movements.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16008 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

2026-10-26

Ex-NYPD cop charged in George Washington Bridge road rage killing free on $1M bail

2026-10-23

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Lupin’ Season 4 On Netflix, Where The Master Thief Finds Out Who Pulled Off A Copycat Heist While He Was In Prison

2026-10-20

ISIS terrorist who plotted NYC mass slaughter gets 50 more years for blinding prison guard

2026-10-18

The AI bubble is about to burst — and a big market correction is coming

2026-10-16

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs moved out of New Jersey prison days after head injury, reports of special treatment

2026-10-13

‘Compassionate’ drug policy is anything but — woke Canada shows us why

2026-10-10

Cornell set to become first Ivy to offer degrees in prison

2026-10-09

Prison where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is serving sentence is at the center of sex abuse scandal

2026-10-08

Christa Pike is ‘up and walking’ after botched execution — and she remembers: ‘She is angry’

2026-10-08

Christa Pike’s aunt believes killer’s survival of botched execution is God’s will: ‘God is in control, not the Department of Correction’

2026-10-08

Manson killer Patricia Krenwinkel granted parole again after nearly 6 decades behind bars

2026-10-07

Former corrections officer allegedly killed his wife — and forced his kids to help

2026-10-04

Ex-US Attorney will lead independent review of Christa Pike botched execution

2026-10-03

Tennessee prison chief resigns after Christa Pike’s botched execution

2026-10-03

Inmates getting paper straws in Canadian prisons for ‘safer snorting’ of drugs

2026-10-02

Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ken Urker’s relationship timeline: From prison proposal to his untimely death

2026-10-01

‘Triple-G’ weight loss drug update: Even on the lowest dose, trial patients lost 12.7% of their weight

2026-10-01

Christa Pike likely has ‘brain injury’ after botched execution — here’s what went wrong: ‘Degraded’ drugs, damaged veins

2026-09-29

Tennessee’s first female death row inmate in 200 years snubs her last meal ahead of Wednesday execution

2026-09-27

Trump asked China’s Xi Jinping if he’d ‘like to buy’ American weapons, US ambassador reveals

2026-09-27

Police give update on Hayden Panettiere’s death investigation after overdose ruling

2026-09-26

NYC’s embattled jail system saw startling 76% spike in inmate assaults and fights

2026-09-24

‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond’s son Jamar detained for biting cop months before assault arrest

2026-09-22

GOP’s Bruce Blakeman promises to ease solitary confinement limits as he picks up correction union nod

2026-09-19

‘Landman’ Season 3 Release Date Update: When Does The Next Season of ‘Landman’ Come Out?

2026-09-19

Nick Reiner hasn’t received ‘even $5’ from $1.6M family trust, lawyers claim

2026-09-18

UCLA chancellor pressured to retract rebuke over event with 9/11 ‘mastermind’ lawyer

2026-09-18

Bo Bichette’s willingness to change positions could reshape Mets’ infield

2026-09-18

Mamdani mourns NYC thief accused of murdering man with special needs

2026-09-18

Alabama killer’s last words before he’s executed for 1998 pawnshop double murder revealed

2026-09-18

Shock poll shows another huge swing in California governor’s race

2026-09-15

Fast food chains are making a major shift in customer service amid complaints of a ‘lonely and disconnected’ store experience

2026-09-15

Are Cocoa Puffs Maria Sten’s Favorite Cereal? The ‘Reacher’ and ‘Neagley’ Star Sets The Record Straight: “I Have to Make Clarifications”

2026-09-06

Long Island inmates in jail on drug charges use photo program to get clean

2026-09-06

‘Landman’ Season 3 Release Date Update: When Does ‘Landman’ Return With New Episodes?

Who wrote this

Valentina Martinez

135 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 That’s what I would expect,” Kerr said on KNBR.

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Steve Kerr expects Valkyries-Dream WNBA Finals Game 7 to be a ‘street fight’

🔮 Golden State will have to face the Dream once more, but in front of adoring fans at Ballhalla, which could very well play a role in fueling the Valkyries to a victory.

2026-10-30 · mixed framing · WNBA Finals Game 7 tickets emerge as league’s priciest ever

🔮 Warriors star Draymond Green weighed in on the unusual start time for Game 6 and explained why State Farm Arena wasn’t willing to move the matchup to a later time.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Warriors star reveals why wonky Game 6 start time for WNBA Finals makes sense

🔮 There is now growing concern within the organization Porzingis may never play again for the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Fear Kristaps Porzingis never plays for Warriors again heightens

🔮 If the Valkyries win Game 6 on Thursday, however, there’s a chance the championship celebration will be moved to a practice court.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Valkyries one win from WNBA crown after shutting down Dream in Game 5

🔮 But Draymond Green still believes the Lakers superstar will never win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Draymond Green doubles down on Luka Doncic never winning MVP award

🔮 There’s no guarantee the Rams will play in this season’s Super Bowl, but Jay-Z has officially been announced as the halftime performer.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium

🔮 They didn’t know if we could still do it,” Rojas said on MLB Network.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Miguel Rojas reveals the Dodgers stars behind his ‘viejitos’ crew

🔮 If Golden State or Atlanta manage to win back-to-back contests, then Game 6 would be the clincher.

2026-10-26 · mixed framing · WNBA championship celebration could be moved to practice court in unfortunate twist

🔮 Next, the Trojans will have to face No. 3 Ohio State and No. 6 Indiana after a harrowing loss to the unranked Badgers.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · USC suffers humiliating Wisconsin loss as Lincoln Riley’s seat heats up

Also by Valentina Martinez

Steve Kerr expects Valkyries-Dream WNBA Finals Game 7 to be a ‘street fight’

2026-10-30 · New York Post

WNBA Finals Game 7 tickets emerge as league’s priciest ever

2026-10-29 · New York Post

Warriors star reveals why wonky Game 6 start time for WNBA Finals makes sense

2026-10-29 · New York Post

Fear Kristaps Porzingis never plays for Warriors again heightens

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 135 articles by Valentina Martinez →

Topics

Chargers Dolphins Jacksonville Lions NFL

Subjects

Chargers ORG · 7× Rucci PERSON · 4× Kolar GPE · 2× Njoku PERSON · 2× Charlie Kolar PERSON · 1× David Njoku PERSON · 1× Evan Svoboda PERSON · 1× Hayden Rucci PERSON · 1× Jacksonville GPE · 1× Oronde Gadsden II PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Nothing has quite panned out for the team, including its free agent class as more than half of those players have been sidelined by injury (including Njoku and Kolar).

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22

🔮 The Chargers also have two tight ends on their practice squad, Evan Svoboda and Patrick Herbert (brother of quarterback Justin Herbert), and could elevate them.

2026-09-22 · New York Post

Chargers make ridiculously underwhelming tight end move after losing David Njoku to IR · assertive framing

Claims (11 extracted, 1 hedged)

The Chargers signed a practice squad tight end Tuesday. asserted

Chargers → sign → end

After losing tight ends David Njoku and Charlie Kolar to injury, the Chargers added Hayden Rucci to the active roster from Jacksonville’s practice squad. asserted

Chargers → lose → squad

Rucci won’t be the primary tight end for the LA offense as the Chargers plan to utilize Oronde Gadsden II with Njoku and Kolar on injured reserve. asserted

Chargers → plan → reserve

The Chargers also have two tight ends on their practice squad, Evan Svoboda and Patrick Herbert (brother of quarterback Justin Herbert), and could elevate them. uncertain

Chargers → have → them

Rucci has played four games in the NFL, recording only a tackle on special teams. asserted

Rucci → play → teams

The tight end was an undrafted free agent in 2024 and signed with the Dolphins. asserted

end → sign → Dolphins

He was quite the journeyman last season as he spent time with the Lions toward the end of the campaign and joined the 49ers in the offseason. asserted

he → spend → offseason

Now, Rucci will get an opportunity with the struggling Chargers. asserted

Rucci → get → Chargers

The Chargers opened the last two seasons 2-0. asserted

Chargers → open → seasons

Nothing has quite panned out for the team, including its free agent class as more than half of those players have been sidelined by injury (including Njoku and Kolar). asserted

half → pan → Njoku

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered for LA, and Rucci’s addition doesn’t quite seem to be a needle-mover. asserted

addition → be → LA

💬Give feedback

🕘History 🎫Support

Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0

Articles to 2 Nov 2026