Steelers TE Donald Parham Out For Season After Torn Achilles
JUNE 5: Parham has officially been placed on injured reserve. As a result, his season is over. Parham will hit free agency next spring with his value having taken a notable hit.
JUNE 3: Steelers tight end Donald Parham will likely miss the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn Achilles in OTAs, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The former Charger signed with the Steelers in February on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. He was expected to slot in as tight end depth behind starter Pat Freiermuth, but will now spend the season on the sidelines, leaving Pittsburgh thin at the position.
The Steelers only have two other tight ends with any NFL experience: 2023 third-rounder Darnell Washington and 2022 sixth-rounder Connor Heyward. Both have primarily served as blockers in the NFL – Heyward as a hybrid TE/FB and Washington as a jumbo-sized inline blocker – though the latter showed up at OTAs 10 pounds lighter, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show. Pittsburgh’s undrafted rookie tight ends, DJ Thomas-Jones and J.J. Galbreath, will now have the opportunity to make a strong impression this summer and push for a roster spot.
Parham’s injury could also intensify the Steelers’ renewed pursuit of Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith. Pittsburgh was already looking to add an offensive playmaker before the season and now has an even stronger need at tight end.
In the event that Smith stays in Miami, the Steelers may have to pivot to a veteran free agent. MyCole Pruitt logged 271 snaps in Arthur Smith‘s offense last year, and 19-year veteran Marcedes Lewis recently revealed that he wants to sign with a new team for the 2025 season.
Parham, meanwhile, won’t see the field for a second consecutive season. After four years as a rotational option with the Chargers, he was released last August during final roster cuts. He landed on the Broncos’ practice squad, but was not elevated a single time during the regular season.
NFL Minor Transactions: 2/21/25
Friday’s minor moves across the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Extended: LS Cal Adomitis
New England Patriots
- Signed ERFA tender: C Ben Brown, T Demontrey Jacobs
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Donald Parham
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Ryan Cooper, WR Cornell Powell
Brown and Jacobs were both tendered by the Patriots yesterday and have agreed to their tenders today. As exclusive rights free agents, their options were to accept the tender offered to them or not play football in 2025.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Denver Broncos
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Tyler Badie, WR Michael Bandy, FB Michael Burton, G Nick Gargiulo, DE Matt Henningsen, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, DB Tanner McCalister, NT Jordan Miller, CB Quinton Newsome, TE Donald Parham, G William Sherman, WR David Sills, CB Reese Taylor, G Calvin Throckmorton, OLB Dondrea Tillman, TE Thomas Yassmin
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed:
Claimed:
- CB Eric Scott Jr.
Waived:
- CB Nic Jones
Signed to practice squad:
- S Deon Bush, TE Baylor Cupp, WR Justyn Ross, QB Bailey Zappe
Las Vegas Raiders
Signed:
Claimed:
- DB Thomas Harper, DT Jonah Laulu
Waived:
- DT Byron Young
Placed on IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- DE David Agoha, WR Alex Bachman, QB Carter Bradley, G Ben Brown, DT Matthew Butler, WR Jalen Guyton, RB Sincere McCormick, C Will Putnam, S Phalen Sanford, TE John Samuel Shenker, DE Charles Snowden, T Dalton Wagner, CB Sam Webb, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Los Angeles Chargers
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
- DB JT Woods
Signed to practice squad:
- OLB Andrew Farmer, LB Shaquille Quarterman
Chargers Waive RB Isaiah Spiller, T Alex Leatherwood; Get Down To 53
The Chargers made their way down to 53 players today with a number of waives and releases:
Released:
Waived:
- G Karsen Barnhart
- TE Luke Benson
- DL Jerrod Clark
- S Akeem Dent
- RB Elijah Dotson
- OLB Andrew Farmer
- TE Tucker Fisk
- WR Jaelen Gill
- LB Frank Ginda
- CB Matt Hankins
- S Thomas Harper
- TE Zach Heins
- DL Christopher Hinton
- OLB Savion Jackson
- LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste
- WR Cornelius Johnson
- WR Jaylen Johnson
- CB Robert Kennedy
- C Brent Laing
- T Alex Leatherwood
- LB Shane Lee
- OLB Tre’Mon Morris-Brash
- DL C.J. Okoye
- G Willis Patrick
- QB Luis Perez
- S Jalyn Phillips
- TE Isaac Rex
- OLB Ty Shelby
- RB Isaiah Spiller
- CB Zamari Walton
- WR Isaiah Wooden
Placed on IR:
- OLB Chris Collins
- T Tyler McLellan
- OLB Chris Rumph
- IOL Bucky Williams
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- LB Nick Niemann
There aren’t too many surprises here. Of the veterans, Parham fell victim to the addition of two veteran receiving options, and Quarterman was a long-time special teamer.
Michigan wide receiver Johnson was the only drafted rookie who failed to make the roster after being selected in the seventh round. While no undrafted rookies made the roster either, McLellan and Williams will stick around on the IR, where they will remain out for the year. Niemann will have the option to be activated after four games.
The biggest cuts we otherwise see are Spiller, who got some run as a depth option at running back last year, and Leatherwood. Leatherwood, the former first-round pick out of Alabama, continues to struggle to find his place in the NFL.
Chargers To Re-Sign TE Donald Parham
Linked as a team in play for help at tight end, the Chargers are going to keep one of their own in the fold. They are re-signing Donald Parham, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
A 6-foot-8 performer who joined the Chargers after being part of the XFL’s second go-round, Parham has been with the team for the past three seasons. He has played an auxiliary role for the Bolts in that span, totaling seven touchdown receptions.
Operating as one of the NFL’s tallest players, Parham posted three TDs apiece in 2020 and ’21. Last season, a hamstring injury limited the complementary pass catcher. Parham missed 11 games last season, limiting him to 10 receptions for 130 yards.
The Chargers have thus far chosen to run it back with their cadre of receiving options, re-signing Parham and seeing GM Tom Telesco take Keenan Allen out of play as a trade chip. The Bolts have been connected to Dalton Schultz. That move would likely mean parting with current starter Gerald Everett, whom the team can release to create $4.25MM in cap space.
Regardless of the Chargers’ plans involving their first-string tight end, they will continue to develop Parham as a backup option.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: G Will Hernandez
- Promoted: CB Nate Hairston, DL Manny Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: LB Brandon Smith
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: TE Jake Tonges, WR Nsimba Webster
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: C Brock Hoffman
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Devine Ozigbo, QB Jarrett Guarantano
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: RB Craig Reynolds
- Promoted: LB Jarrad Davis, QB Joshua Dobbs
- Waived: WR Tom Kennedy
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated off IR: TE Donald Parham
- Promoted: DL Christopher Hinton, S Raheem Layne
- Waived: WR Jason Moore
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: RB Malcolm Brown
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: WR Braylon Sanders
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Kirk Merritt
- Waived: Nephi Sewell
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: OL Ben Bredeson
- Placed on IR: OL Joshua Ezeudu
- Promoted: LB Landon Collins, QB Davis Webb
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Promoted: S Will Parks, DL Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: LB Christian Elliss, P Brett Kern
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: LB J.J. Russell, WR Deven Thompkins
Washington Commanders
- Promoted: G Wes Martin
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed from practice squad: WR DeSean Jackson
- Waived: WR Binjimen Victor
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated for return: TE Donald Parham
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: CB Isaac Yiadom
- Promoted: TE Lucas Krull, WR Kirk Merritt
- Waived: WR Kevin White
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, ILB Ulysees Gilbert
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Cody Hollister
For Minor NFL Transactions followers, Jackson is obviously overqualified for inclusion here. He is one of the great deep threats in NFL history. But the Ravens made a procedural move involving the 35-year-old wideout. Jackson initially moved to Baltimore’s 53-man roster as a gameday elevation. He will now reside on the team’s active roster moving forward. Should the Ravens cut Jackson, he will need to pass through waivers. Jackson, who has played in three Ravens games, has five receptions for 100 yards this season.
A hamstring injury has sidelined Parham, but the Chargers are moving into position to have the 6-foot-8 tight end back in uniform. An XFL 2.0 alum, Parham has been a Justin Herbert auxiliary target during his time with the team. Parham caught six touchdown passes from 2020-21; he has yet to score this season. Despite the usual array of Bolts injuries, the team is in good shape for IR activations. The Chargers have only used two of their eight allotted activations this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/22
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: P Nolan Cooney, DL Manny Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: S Marquise Blair, RB Spencer Brown
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster: DT Domenique Davis
- Promoted: CB Allan George, WR Trenton Irwin
- Placed on IR: CB Chidobe Awuzie (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: WR Stanley Berryhill
- Promoted: WR Brandon Zylstra, TE Shane Zylstra
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: RB Phillip Lindsay, RB Jordan Wilkins
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: K Cameron Dicker, WR Keelan Doss, CB Kemon Hall
- Placed on IR: TE Donald Parham Jr.
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: OL Chandler Brewer
- Promoted: TE Jared Pinkney, RB Ronnie Rivers
- Activated from IR: LB Travin Howard
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: OT Kion Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: WR Dan Chisena, TE Nick Muse
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: TE Kenny Yeboah
- Promoted: T Conor McDermott
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Josh Onujiogu
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: QB Logan Woodside, DT Larrell Murchison
Washington Commanders
- Promoted: FB Alex Armah, LB Nathan Gerry
Chargers WR Jalen Guyton, TE Donald Parham Sign ERFA Tenders
A pair of offensive skill players signed their tenders with the Chargers today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), wide receiver Jalen Guyton and tight end Donald Parham officially inked their exclusive rights free agent tenders.
Guyton, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of North Texas, has spent the majority of his three-year career with the Chargers. He basically redshirted his rookie campaign before turning into a serviceable target for Justin Herbert over the past two seasons. In 32 games (11 starts) between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Guyton has hauled in 59 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns.
After bouncing around the NFL and XFL to begin his professional career, Parham caught on with the Chargers in 2020. He’s seen time in 27 games (14 starts) over the past two years, hauling in 30 receptions for 349 yards and six touchdowns. His 2021 season ended on IR after he suffered a scary concussion in December.
The Chargers also officially announced the signing of linebacker Troy Reeder today. We learned that Reeder was inking a one-year deal with the team this past weekend.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/11/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Signed:
- Broncos: LB Malik Reed
- Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard
ERFAs
Signed:
- Cardinals: RB Jonathan Ward
- Broncos: S P.J. Locke, QB Brett Rypien
- Chargers: TE Donald Parham
- Jaguars: LB Jamir Jones
- Lions: P Jack Fox
- Raiders: TE Nick Bowers, S Roderic Teamer