Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Donald Parham Jr. has suffered a torn Achilles during the team’s OTA practice, a significant injury that is anticipated to sideline him for the entire 2025 season. This news comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who described the injury as “brutal.”
Parham, who signed with the Steelers earlier this offseason, stands at an impressive 6’8″ and weighs 240 pounds. He spent the previous season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad after a successful four-year tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he caught 67 passes for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns. His standout season was in 2023, where he recorded 27 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Now, at 28 years old, Parham’s placement on injured reserve signals a challenging setback in his career as he was vying for a backup tight end position on the Steelers’ roster.
In light of Parham’s injury, discussions regarding a trade with the Miami Dolphins for tight end Jonnu Smith have reportedly been renewed, heightening his importance as the Steelers look to reinforce their depth chart. Other tight ends currently on the Steelers roster include starters Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, as well as Connor Heyward, whose chances of making the roster may have increased due to this unfortunate situation.
With Parham likely heading for injured reserve, the Steelers will have two roster spots available. The first opened up after waiving rookie defensive lineman Blake Mangelson. Furthermore, due to EDGE Julius Welschof’s international roster exemption, Pittsburgh has the capacity to maintain up to 91 players prior to roster cutdowns later in August.
While the injury is undoubtedly a setback for Parham and the team, it provides an opportunity for other players to step up and compete for roles in the upcoming season, potentially leading to new talent emergence within the roster.