With the Pittsburgh Steelers recently signing TE Donald Parham Jr., you may have contemplated what that means for Connor Heyward. The overwhelming likelihood is that it means nothing, and the reason is simple. Heyward is not on the roster primarily for the purpose of playing offense, but rather special teams. With Parham’s 98 career special teams snaps, including none since 2021, his presence has no bearing on Heyward.
Now, that doesn’t mean Heyward should take anything for granted, even with the Steelers’ value of special teams (and nepotism). Role players have to earn their roster spot every year, and there are always young players for special teams.
The Steelers more than most teams love to keep around some core guys, Connor Heyward being a current one. They also have Miles Killebrew and brought back James Pierre and Tyler Matakevich last year. Mark Robinson has turned himself into a special teams standout—but that doesn’t make them safe.
Jeremiah Moon, for example, played 222 snaps on special teams last year—you think his job with the Steelers is locked in for 2025? Connor Heyward obviously has more seniority here, but Donald Parham Jr. also isn’t irrelevant.
A college free agent in 2019, Parham bounced around multiple teams before finally sticking with the Chargers in 2020. He played there for four seasons but did not survive the regime change to Jim Harbaugh. They released him in late August, and he spent the season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad.
The Broncos did not pick up his contract, and now he is in Pittsburgh. Donald Parham joins a Steelers tight end room that already includes Connor Heyward, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and MyCole Pruitt.
Pruitt is the most obvious player directly threatened by the Steelers’ signing of Parham, not Heyward. For starters, Pruitt isn’t under contract, and Parham is (as is Heyward, of course). The Steelers and OC Arthur Smith do like to keep four tight end-like bodies, so that helps all of them.
But as I discussed recently, of that group, Connor Heyward has the variable for the Steelers that Donald Parham and MyCole Pruitt don’t have. He has that valued special teams role, and he is actually good at it. Some fans may not like it, but unless they make a more significant signing, he is probably safe.
His role on offense declined sharply, though. Heyward played just 202 snaps last season and saw only eight targets in the passing game. Even as a rookie, he drew 12 targets, with two carries. Arthur Smith just didn’t seem him as nearly as useful, and that is something to bear in mind.
But just like the Steelers carried Derek Watt as a fullback for three years while hardly using him, Connor Heyward is a special teams “starter”, while Donald Parham is a borderline depth tight end. He is not without his good qualities—he does have 11 career touchdowns. But he is very much starting from the bottom of the roster and will have to prove his offensive mettle to Arthur Smith to even have a chance. If he could help special teams coordinator Danny Smith at all, even better.
