Who Should I Start? Durham Smythe or Oronde Gadsden

Thursday, March 6, 2:33 PM

The Chicago Bears signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The former fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame has played his entire seven-year career with Miami but was released this offseason. Overall, the 28-year-old has hauled in 132 receptions for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns in 112 career games. Smythe is best utilized as a blocker, and with Chicago trading for former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney, it's evident they want to improve quickly in run and pass blocking. Smythe could help Chicago's offense in 2025 under new head coach Ben Johnson, but he's unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar.

Wednesday, January 7, 10:11 PM

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden has been inconsistent down the stretch, but he still exceeded expectations as a fifth-round rookie. Gadsden brought in 49 catches (69 targets) for 664 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. The Syracuse product had a historic stretch early in the season once he earned a full-time role in Week 6, posting his most receiving yards ever by a rookie tight end over a four-game span. He also became the first rookie tight end with four straight games of 65 or more receiving yards. Gadsden's production faded down the stretch, as he averaged just two catches (3.3 targets) for 26.2 yards per game with one touchdown over the final six weeks. Gadsden is a risky option for Sunday night's Wild-Card game against the New England Patriots, with New England being a slightly favorable matchup for opposing tight ends, allowing the 11th-most catches per game (5.7) and the 12th-most yards (57.1).