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.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: Not playing Sunday
Rotowire
Anderson (illness) is out Sunday against the Falcons, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: Records two catches in win
Rotowire
Anderson recorded two receptions for seven yards in Monday's 27-13 loss to the Patriots.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: More snaps on tap without Ertz
Rotowire
Anderson is in line for more usage with Zach Ertz (knee) out indefinitely, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: Remains limited on offense
Rotowire
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.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: Re-signs with Arizona
Rotowire
The Cardinals re-signed Anderson on Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Anderson was released by the Cardinals ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline but has returned to the team on a standard contract after Arizona made a number of roster moves. The 29-year-old tight end appeared in 17 games for the Chargers last season, catching 16 of 19 targets for 165 yards and a score. With Zach Ertz (calf) and Maxx Williams (knee) questionable for Week 1, Anderson may begin the season as the top backup behind rookie second-round pick Trey McBride.
... See More... See Less
Stephen Anderson: Cut by Cards
Rotowire
Arizona released Anderson on Tuesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Anderson failed to secure a depth role on the Cardinals' initial 53-man roster, but that doesn't preclude him from reuniting with the team at a later date. Over 17 games with the Chargers last year, Anderson logged 16 receptions (19 targets) for 165 yards and a touchdown.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Stephen Anderson: Signs with Arizona
Rotowire
Anderson signed a contract with the Cardinals on Monday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals official site reports.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Plays all 17 games in 2021
Rotowire
Anderson caught 16 of 19 targets for 165 yards and one touchdown across 17 appearances during the 2021 campaign.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Catches one pass
Rotowire
Anderson caught his lone target for eight yards in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Broncos.
With both Jared Cook (reserve/COVID-19 list) and Donald Parham (concussion) out for Week 17, Anderson filled in as the Chargers' No. 1 tight end. He effectively shared reps at the position with rookie Tre' McKitty, who played 52 percent of the Chargers' offensive snaps to Anderson's 78 percent. McKitty, however, was more involved in the passing game, seeing three targets to Anderson's one. Parham remains on injured reserve, but with Cook likely to make his return from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of a Week 18 matchup with the Raiders, Anderson will be in store for a role reduction.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Poised for Week 17 start
Rotowire
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 Friday, per Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register.
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).
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Two receptions Week 16
Rotowire
Anderson caught both his targets for 34 yards during Sunday's 41-29 loss to the Texans.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Records one catch in loss
Rotowire
Anderson was targeted once and recorded one catch for 12 yards during Thursday's 34-28 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
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 toward veteran tight end Cook, who recorded seven targets in the game. Anderson has tallied only 13 catches on the season, but should Parham miss time, there will be additional opportunities at tight end. Anderson would most likely split those additional snaps with fourth-option Tre' McKitty, which would limit his upside.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Targeted twice
Rotowire
Anderson caught two of two targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Broncos.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Zero production in loss
Rotowire
Anderson did not receive a target in Sunday's 27-20 loss against Minnesota.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Surprisingly successful outing
Rotowire
Anderson caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Seahawks.
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.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Back with Bolts
Rotowire
Anderson re-signed with the Chargers on Monday.
Anderson will return for a third straight season with the Chargers. Hunter Henry's departure could open up increased depth opportunities for Anderson, though Jared Cook and Donald Parham both are a notch above him in the tight end pecking order.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Does not receive tender
Rotowire
The Chargers have opted not to tender Anderson as a restricted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Although Anderson was not tendered, the Chargers are still hopeful they can bring him back. He recorded 106 yards on eight receptions across 16 games in 2020.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Nets 52 yards in win
Rotowire
Anderson caught all three of his targets for 52 yards in Sunday's 38-21 win over the Chiefs.
The little-used tight end again put together a commendable performance with Hunter Henry on the reserve/COVID-19 list, nearly doubling his season total in receiving yards. A restricted free agent this offseason, it's entirely possible the Chargers could opt to bring back Anderson to pair as depth with Donald Parham, and the two could be pushed into an even more prominent role in the event the Chargers are unable to come to a long-term deal with Henry, who played the 2020 season on a franchise tag.
... See More... See Less
Chargers' Stephen Anderson: Makes impact in win
Rotowire
Anderson caught four of six targets for 48 yards in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Broncos.
With Hunter Henry on the COVID-19 list, Anderson emerged as a surprising threat at tight end, with his 23-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter helping to set up a field goal. The 27-year-old had only two targets all season coming into Sunday, but if Henry is forced to miss the Chargers' finale as well, Anderson might be productive again in Week 17 against a Kansas City team that could be resting key personnel after clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed.
