Tight end Will Dissly is just one of those players I can’t stop writing about. Prior to coming to the Los Angeles Chargers, I was unfamiliar with Dissly’s game. Then 2024 happened, and with a very limited receiving core, Dissly stuck out, and his tough brand of football caught my attention.
After a career-high season, it begs the question: Will we see Dissly producing similar numbers and being as involved in the receiving game in 2025?
Will Dissly’s 2024 Season With The Chargers
Much of Dissly’s play this season was successful because of his sheer physical dominance. The stiff arm against Cardinals’ safety Budda Baker during Week 7, as Dissly plowed forward for the first down, is the most vivid example.
But there were others, like in Week 11 against the Bengals, during the third drive of the third quarter, where he avoided an ankle tackle on a second-and-13 to get to third-and-six.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), in the regular season, Dissly ranked sixth amongst tight ends for yards after catch per reception. He has the grit to dig in, getting every yard out of each down he plays. In addition to that tough physical play leading to yardage, it also translated as advertised to run and pass blocking.
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Out of his regular season stats, he had a PFF pass blocking grade of 72.2%, only allowing one hit, two hurries, and three quarterback pressures. His run-blocking grade came out to 61.5%, correlating with many of the grades he’s received in the past.
Dissly had success not only in being an imposing tight end but was also a reliable receiving option. Yes, there were the two big drops during the Wild Card game, but he also had 50 receptions during the regular season, 61 targets, and 481 receiving yards.
He had some magical receiving moments this past year, like the go route in Week 11, where he caught the ball and ran it into the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. There was also the catch during the Ravens game in Week 12, where he was wide open in the middle of the field and got an 18-yard reception during the first drive of the game.
Though he suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14 and missed a few weeks, Dissly had such an uptick in stats and opportunities last year that being absent for those few matchups barely made a dent.
What Will Dissly’s Play Look Like in 2025?
Because of his increased opportunities, there were also more opportunities for Dissly to make mistakes. He had five drops in total (regular and postseason) for on-target passes, the most he’s ever had. And though it was remarkable to watch Dissly this past year, and the Chargers do want complete tight ends who can do everything, Dissly wasn’t supposed to take on this much of a receiving workload.
He only did so because the Chargers had moved on from wide receivers Mike Williams (who is back now) and Keenan Allen and only had a few weapons at the position.
It would be preferable for Dissly not to reach the highs of last season because if he doesn’t, hopefully, that means the Chargers have their answers at wide receiver and also at tight end with more help for Dissly. It’s good to know the Chargers have Dissly if they need him, but he shouldn’t be the second-leading receiver on the team.