The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed tight end Donald Parham to a one-year contract for the 2025 season, the team announced on Friday.
Parham, 27, spent the 2024 season on the Denver Broncos practice squad without playing a game. Before that, he played four seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers .
A 6-foot-8, 237-pound Lakeland, Florida native, Parham didn't play football until his senior season in high school. The late bloomer played collegiately at the FCS level for Stetson , where he finished as the school's all-time leader in receptions and yards.
Despite running a 4.68-second 40-yard dash at that size, he went undrafted coming out in 2019, first joining the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins , without appearing in a game in his rookie season. After a stint in the XFL in the spring of 2020, Parham caught on with the Chargers that summer and made his mark.
In four seasons in L.A., Parham played in 47 games and made 23 starts. He caught 67 passes for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best statistical season came in 2023, when he caught 27 passes for 285 yards and four scores.
With his long frame, Parham is considered an excellent pass blocker. Nagging injuries have minimized Parham throughout his career. He played a career high of 269 offensive snaps in 2023.
Parham will join a Steelers tight ends group that contains only Pat Freiermuth , Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward under contract for 2025. Veteran MyCole Pruitt is set to hit free agency and practice squad tight end Matt Sokol 's contract was not renewed.
Parham's contract is for one season. The financial terms of the deal were not released, but are expected to be minimal. The Steelers now have 82 players on their 90-man offseason roster ahead of the official start of the new league year and free agency on March 12.
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