One of the more puzzling aspects of the Los Angeles Chargers' ugly Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was the limited usage of Oronde Gadsden II. Apparently, Mike McDaniel didn't plan for it to happen that way.

Gadsden played only 10 offensive snaps in Los Angeles' 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals despite being productive whenever Justin Herbert looked in his direction.

“I planned for him to get more…but the way the game went, it didn't pan out that way,” McDaniel said, via Alex Insdorf on X. “Moving forward, we plan on utilizing his skillset…I would expect him to be more involved.”

Oronde Gadsden was planned for more Week 1 usage and is expected to be more involved against the Raiders if game flow allows.

Mike McDaniel: “The way the game went, it didn't play out that way. Every week, we try to keep the opponent off balance by different ways to utilize… pic.twitter.com/q3Mk6rrZXC

— MicNuggets (@micnuggetsnfl) September 17, 2026

Gadsden caught both of his targets for 32 yards, including a 26-yard reception that moved Los Angeles into the Red Zone during the second quarter. The Chargers eventually turned the ball over on downs, wasting one of the few explosive plays their offense generated.

Gadsden isn't going to be Los Angeles' most valuable tight end as a blocker, but that's not why he needs to be on the field. The 6-foot-5 playmaker demonstrated exactly what he can provide as a receiver during his rookie season, finishing with 49 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns despite not recording an offensive snap during the first two weeks (healthy inactive).

McDaniel has plenty of weapons at his disposal, and as he explained Thursday, opposing personnel and defensive tendencies will dictate how they're deployed. But Gadsden proved last season that he's too dangerous to disappear from the game plan.

All eyes are on Ladd McConkey this week as he deals with a rib injury. McConkey did not practice for the second consecutive day as Week 2 approaches.

thursday's injury report for week 2 vs LV pic.twitter.com/7ZU9sk3PAg

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 17, 2026