Report: Steelers Sign Former Broncos TE Donald Parham Jr.

The Denver Broncos let Donald Parham Jr. hit the street and the Pittsburgh Steelers pounced.
Dec 26, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA;  Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. (89) runs with the ball while Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) defends in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Dec 26, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. (89) runs with the ball while Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) defends in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Former Denver Broncos tight end Donald Parham Jr. has signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The Broncos signed Parham late last summer and he spent the entire season on the practice squad. It was a curious development considering that the Broncos' Greg Dulcich experiment failed, and the team struggled to get consistent tight-end contributions in the passing game all season long.

Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, and Nate Adkins serves as the Broncos' trio, and it was one of the least-productive tight end units in the NFL. Despite this, Parham was never even elevated to the gameday roster as a practice-squadder.

The Broncos signed 13 practice-squad players to futures contracts immediately following their Wildcard Round playoff exit. Parham wasn't among them, which made him a free agent. Among the players who did get a futures contract was tight end Thomas Yassmin.

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At 6-foot-8 and 237 pounds, Parham certainly has a size that NFL teams find very intriguing. Yet, it's never materialized into meaningful production beyond that of a depth or reserve tight end.

Parham hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since 2023 with the Los Angeles Chargers. Enter the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019, he's posted 67 receptions for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns for his career.

As you can see, some teams have utilized him to modest success as a red-zone target, but he couldn't quite crack the lineup in Denver despite a thin tight end depth chart. Hopefully, the 27-year-old's luck turns in Pittsburgh.

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Chad Jensen
CHAD JENSEN

Chad Jensen is the Founder of Mile High Huddle and creator of the wildly popular Mile High Huddle Podcast. Chad has been on the Denver Broncos beat since 2012 and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.