This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed an offensive weapon to bolster their offense as they await the potential arrival of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Unfortunately, that player is now out for the season after tearing his Achilles, prompting the question: Should the Steelers make a trade to make up for the loss?
Steelers TE Tears Achilles, Potential Trade Incoming?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Steelers tight end Donald Parham Jr. has torn his Achilles and is now likely out for the entire 2025-26 season.
Sources: Steelers tight end Donald Parham Jr. suffered a torn Achilles during today’s OTAs that now is likely to end his 2025 season. A brutal injury. https://t.co/fyipieiizU pic.twitter.com/Mxyxkqh8id
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 3, 2025
The injury happened during OTAs. Parham signed a one-year, $1.17 million deal with the Steelers this offseason.
He’s been in the NFL for four seasons, all with the Los Angeles Chargers. Over his career, Parham has played in 47 games with 67 catches for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Now, with Parham out, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has mentioned that the Steelers could go after Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith.
This isn’t unfounded speculation as Schefter also reported that the Steelers could be in on Smith, who’s looking for a new contract.
That said, as PFSN’s Taylor Hartman points out, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wants Smith to remain on the team.
Back in it: the Steelers renewed conversations today with Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith, who is seeking a new contract. The trade between the Steelers and Dolphins is still alive, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 3, 2025
In 2024, Smith caught 88 passes on 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. More so than his 2024 production, though, is that current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith worked with Smith during his time as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator and Atlanta Falcons head coach.
Before becoming the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, Smith was the tight ends coach, which further explains the Steelers’ interest in the dynamic tight end.
Across the three seasons in which both Smiths were together (2019, 2020, and 2023), the tight end caught 126 passes for 1,469 yards and 14 touchdowns. In all, he played in 38 games, meaning he averaged 3.3 catches for 38.7 yards per outing. His best season under the long-time coach was in 2020, when he caught 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns.
The current Steelers tight end depth chart features Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and J.J. Galbreath. A trade for Smith, who put up massive numbers last season, would likely indicate that the team has lost faith in Washington being a big-bodied target for whoever is throwing passes in Pittsburgh this season and beyond.
Over his first two NFL seasons, Washington has just 26 catches for 261 yards and one touchdown.
As for Freiermuth, he’s coming off a 2024-25 season with 65 catches for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. The 65 catches were a single-season high; the seven touchdowns tied a single-season high.
Depending on what kind of contract Smith (the player) wants, it would make sense due to his history with the incumbent offensive coordinator. It’s also never a bad idea to load up on weapons, especially if they’re expecting Rodgers to land in the Steel City soon.