Antonio Gates in the best tight end in the NFL, period.  He will probably be even better this season because of the Chargers’ youth at WR.  He played in 16 games (all starts) and he caught 71 passes for 924 yards (13.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Look for Gates to again be a Pro Bowler in 2007.  Gates has now played in 61 games (57 starts) and he has caught 265 passes for 3,378 (12.7 avg) with 34 TD grabs.

Second stringer Brandon Manumaleuna will be the Chargers’ run blocking TE.  He played in 16 games (7 starts) and he caught 14 passes for 91 yards (6.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for him to get his fair share of playing time but he won’t put up impressive numbers.  He has now played in 94 games (62 starts) and he has caught 80 passes for 739 yards (9.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.

Rookie Scott Chandler is a decent receiver and he played well in the Chargers’ first pre-season game.  He will likely get a lot of playing time as a rookie.