STEPHEN ANDERSON NEWS

Back to practice squad Anderson reverted to the Chargers' practice squad Friday.

Impact Anderson played a season-high 25 snaps on special teams and registered an assisted tackle on a punt return. Since Thursday's blowout loss to the Raiders was the third time Anderson has been called up this season, the Chargers will have to sign him to the active roster if they wish to utilize him again this season.

DECEMBER 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Chargers Sign Alex Erickson to Active Roster; Elevate Stephen Anderson The Los Angeles Chargers today signed wide receiver Alex Erickson to the active roster. In a corresponding move, the team waived running bac...

DECEMBER 2, 2023 • CHARGERS.COM

Not on injury report Anderson (illness) is absent from the Cardinals' injury report ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale against the 49ers, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Impact Anderson is coming off a one-game absence due to an illness. His absence from the injury report indicates his health is back up to par. Barring any setbacks, he is on track to resume his usual role providing depth at tight end.

JANUARY 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not playing Sunday Anderson (illness) is out Sunday against the Falcons, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Impact Anderson was a late scratch for Week 17 and not on the team's inactive list. In his absence, Maxx Williams may see a slight uptick in snaps.

JANUARY 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Records two catches in win Anderson recorded two receptions for seven yards in Monday's 27-13 loss to the Patriots.

Impact Zach Ertz (knee) was sidelined for the third game in a row, but Anderson's pair of receptions Monday were his first receptions since the Cardinals' top tight end suffered his season-ending injury. While Ertz is on the mend, rookie Trey McBride appears poised to dominate the playing time at tight end. Anderson has played 36 snaps on offense in total since Ertz exited the lineup.

DECEMBER 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

More snaps on tap without Ertz Anderson is in line for more usage with Zach Ertz (knee) out indefinitely, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Impact Following Ertz's early exit Sunday at the Rams, Anderson easily earned his largest snap share of the campaign, settling at 37 percent of the offensive plays. Anderson saw his first target since Week 2 and has just one catch (on two targets) for two yards through 10 games this season. As such, Anderson's impact likely will be minimal, especially with rookie second-round pick Trey McBride set to take on most of the pass-catching work at tight end in place of Ertz.

NOVEMBER 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals get much-needed "Vitamin W" after beating Rams

Backup quarterback Colt McCoy’s steady influence helped the Arizona Cardinals to a badly needed win

NOVEMBER 14, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Remains limited on offense Anderson played three of the Cardinals' 70 snaps on offense and wasn't targeted Sunday in the team's 34-26 loss to the Vikings.

Impact Anderson has been active in all eight of the Cardinals' games this season, but he's played double-digit snaps on offense on just one occasion and has one reception to his name. He remains firmly behind Zach Ertz and Trey McBride on the depth chart at tight end, and Anderson's outlook is unlikely to improve unless one of the former two players misses time for any reason.

NOVEMBER 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Herbert, defense look to lead Chargers back to the playoffs

The Los Angeles Chargers invested more than $70 million on free agents on defense during the offseason in order to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2018

AUGUST 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Signs with Arizona Anderson signed a contract with the Cardinals on Monday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals official site reports.

Impact Anderson had 16 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown across 17 appearances for the Chargers last season and has totaled 60 catches for 706 yards and three scores since joining the league as an undrafted free agent with Houston in 2016. He's expected to offer depth behind Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams, though Anderson could garner a bigger role depending on how well Williams' ACL recovery goes during the offseason.

APRIL 4, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Chargers looking to upgrade defense, offensive line

The Chargers have already been one of the more active teams during the offseason

MARCH 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Plays all 17 games in 2021 Anderson caught 16 of 19 targets for 165 yards and one touchdown across 17 appearances during the 2021 campaign.

Impact Anderson primarily operated as the No. 3 tight end, but both Jared Cook and Donald Parham missed multiple games during the season, so he saw increased roles periodically throughout the year. However, Anderson still wasn't able to crack fantasy relevancy with the pair out. Cook and Anderson will be unrestricted free agents this offseason, so Parham, an exclusive rights free agent, and rookie Tre' McKitty could jump to the top of the depth chart if the Chargers choose not to re-sign two of their top three tight ends.

JANUARY 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Catches one pass Anderson caught his lone target for eight yards in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Broncos.

Impact With both Jared Cook (illness) and Donald Parham (concussion) out for the contest, Anderson filled in as the Chargers' No. 1 tight end. The veteran shared tight end duties with rookie Tre' McKitty, as he played 78 percent of the team's offensive snaps while McKitty played 52 percent of snaps. It was McKitty, however, who was more involved in the passing game, seeing three targets to Anderson's one. Parham remains on injured reserve, so if Cook is not activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Week 18, Anderson will likely see a similar workload in a game against the Raiders.

JANUARY 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

The Latest: Four teams vying for final two NFC playoff spots

There are four teams still in the hunt for an NFC wild-card berth

JANUARY 2, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Poised for Week 17 start Anderson and Tre' McKitty are left as the Chargers' healthy tight ends for Sunday's game against the Broncos after Jared Cook (illness) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Frid...

Impact The Chargers aren't expected to have Cook available Sunday, and No. 2 Donald Parham (concussion) is already on injured reserve. Anderson is more skilled as a pass catcher than the typical No. 3 tight end, but he's also undersized at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, potentially setting up a timeshare with McKitty. There is some fantasy appeal for deeper leagues, with Anderson doing well in his limited opportunities this season (15-157-1 on 18 targets in 15 games).

JANUARY 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Two receptions Week 16 Anderson caught both his targets for 34 yards during Sunday's 41-29 loss to the Texans.

Impact Anderson played 35 percent of the offense snaps as he continues to operate as the Chargers' No. 2 tight end. The 28-year-old has 15 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown this season.

DECEMBER 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Records one catch in loss Anderson was targeted once and recorded one catch for 12 yards during Thursday's overtime loss 34-28 to the Chiefs.

Impact Anderson saw a season-high 37 offensive snaps after Donald Parham was carted off the field early in the game with a serious head injury. The 28-year-old tight end hasn't seen much NFL action since his most productive season with the Texans in 2017, serving as a third option behind Jared Cook and Parham for the Chargers. In Parham's absence, Justin Herbert primarily looked towards veteran tight end Cook, who recorded seven targets in the game. Anderson has only tallied 13 catches on the season, but should Parham miss time, there will be additional opportunities at tight end. Anderson will most likely split these additional snaps with fourth-option Tre' McKitty, which will limit his upside.

DECEMBER 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Targeted twice Anderson caught two of two targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Broncos.

Impact Anderson only saw six of 82 snaps after coming off of two games with no targets. This is just the fourth-string tight end's third game with at least two catches. Primarily Anderson has been a factor on special teams, and with the continual rise of rookie third-round pick Tre' McKitty, it's possible the backup tight end could be phased out of the offense altogether.

NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Stephen Anderson Reaches up to Snag Justin Herbert's High Fastball for 13-Yard Pickup Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stephen Anderson reaches up in time to snag Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's high fastball for a 13-yard...

NOVEMBER 28, 2021 • CHARGERS.COM

Zero production in loss Anderson did not receive a target in Sunday's 27-20 loss against Minnesota.

Impact Anderson mostly played special team snaps Sunday as he was only on the field for seven of 59 offensive snaps. The third-string tight end was unable to continue his momentum from last week's breakout game against Philadelphia where he caught all four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. For the remainder of the season, look for Anderson to continue playing behind veteran Jared Cook and the emerging Donald Parham.

NOVEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Surprisingly successful outing Anderson caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Seahawks.

Impact The Chargers opted for a ton of three tight-end sets, which prompted a lot of usage for Anderson, Jared Cook and Donald Parham. It's hard to imagine the sixth-year tight end really factoring into the offense more frequently considering Sunday's totals accounted for essentially half of his total production (9-82-1 line on 12 targets) this season.

NOVEMBER 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Justin Herbert has 3 TDs, Chargers beat Eagles 27-24

Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Dustin Hopkins kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining, leading the Los Angeles Chargers to a 27-24 v...

NOVEMBER 8, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stephen Anderson Gets Open for Redzone Touchdown  Chargers tight end Stephen Anderson gets open for redzone touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Herbert against the Philadelphia Eagles.

NOVEMBER 7, 2021 • CHARGERS.COM

Stephen Anderson gets Bolts on board first with wide-open red-zone TD catch Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stephen Anderson gets the Bolts on the board first with a wide-open red-zone touchdown catch.

NOVEMBER 7, 2021 • NFL.COM

Stephen Anderson Picks Up 23 Yards on Screen Pass Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stephen Anderson rumbles on for a 23-yard pickup on a screen pass from quarterback Justin Herbert against the...

NOVEMBER 7, 2021 • CHARGERS.COM