Donald Parham Signs Contract With Los Angeles Chargers

Donald Parham, Los Angeles Chargers, Agree to Contract

Donald Parham spent part of the season recovering from the nasty head injury he suffered toward the end of last year. He made a return in Weeks 5 and 6 but then ended up on injured reserve for a while again. He returned in December and stayed this time, including playing in the playoffs. Parham finished the season with 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. In the Wildcard round loss – his first playoff appearance – he caught four passes for 23 yards.

Parham played college football at Stetson University. He went undrafted in 2019 and was signed by the Detroit Lions. However, he didn’t even last to training camp. He was signed by the then-Washington Redskins instead but was released in September.

During the 2020 NFL offseason, he joined up with the XFL instead and was drafted by the Dallas Renegades. He proved to be one of the more exciting players in that league. However, his time there was cut short when the XFL shut down due to Covid midway through the season.

The Chargers signed him shortly after the XFL shutdown, and he became the primary backup tight end for the team. His primary utilization came in the red zone, where he has proven to be a nightmare matchup for defenders due to his height (6’8). While his receiving numbers have never been high, he has scored seven touchdowns over three years in that backup role. His 2021 season was cut short in Week 15 when, while trying to dive for a catch in the end zone, he took a nasty landing and suffered a head injury that left him unconscious. Fortunately, he was able to return from that eventually, though he missed the first few weeks of 2022 because of it.

Thus far in his career, Parham has 40 receptions for 479 yards and seven touchdowns.