The best trade deadline moves are not always the flashiest. Contenders often go looking for role players who fill a specific need without costing much in draft capital or cap space. Familiarity with a coaching staff can make those additions even more appealing, since the player can contribute right away. One longtime Browns observer believes he has found that type of target.
Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand looked at whether Andrew Berry will be a buyer or a seller before next week’s deadline and named a tight end who would be a perfect fit. He believes it would be Chargers, TE Charlie Kolar.
“Would a 5-3 record move Berry into buyer mode this season? I think not, unless a blocking tight end could be obtained at the price of a mid-round draft swap. I have no idea if he’s available, but Charlie Kolar of the Los Angeles Chargers would be a player of interest, in my opinion. He was the Ravens’ TE3 the three years Monken was Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. Only thing is, Kolar’s contract for 2027 already is guaranteed for an $8 million base salary with a cap hit of $10.33 million,” Grossi wrote.
The need he identified has come up repeatedly. Adding a blocking tight end so Harold Fannin Jr. can focus on catching passes would help the offense.
Kolar fits that role. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, he has spent most of his career as a blocker rather than a pass catcher. The Baltimore Ravens took him in the 4th round in 2022 out of Iowa State, and he caught 30 passes for 409 yards and 4 touchdowns in 4 seasons there before joining the Chargers this year. He has 10 catches for 98 yards in 5 games with Los Angeles.
His connection to Todd Monken may matter most. Kolar already knows the blocking schemes and terminology Monken used in Baltimore, which would let him step in quickly during a playoff race.
The contract is the catch. A guaranteed $8 million salary next season is a lot for a 3rd tight end, and Berry would have to decide whether a short-term blocking upgrade is worth that money in 2027.
With the deadline set for November 10, Berry has one more game, Sunday in New Orleans, to decide what kind of help this team needs.
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