Broncos roster review: Tight End Dylan Parham

Tight end Dylan Parham, not to be confused with guard Dylan Parham who was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Denver Broncos, joining their 13-man undrafted free agent class.

Is there a chance he could make the roster?

#45 Dylan Parham

Height: 6’5
Weight: 245 lbs
Position: Tight End
College: NC State

How he fits with the Broncos in 2022

Parham enters a tight end room experiencing a decent amount of turnover. Gone is former first-round pick Noah Fant, and the starting job is entirely up for grabs between Albert Okwuegbunam and rookie Greg Dulcich. Parham’s not in line for the TE1 job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t carve out a role to make the Broncos’ roster.

Parham has just 12 receptions and 2 touchdowns in his playing career, making his money off of mainly blocking as an in-line tight end. He didn’t allow a single sack in his career and just two pressures and was a decent enough blocker in NC State’s zone-offense.

Unfortunately, Parham has missed an extensive amount of time with injuries after converting from quarterback to tight end as a freshman. The outside-zone offense that Nathaniel Hackett is installing has usually loaded up at the tight end spot and requires good run blocking at the tight end position, which works in Parham’s favor.

However, the numbers don’t really add up for Parham to make the final roster. While Parham’s shown flashes of talent, the Broncos have Albert Okwuegbunam and Greg Dulcich competing for top spots. They signed Eric Tomlinson, who has been one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL the last few seasons, and Eric Saubert, who the team is already familiar with and has plenty of experience in similar offenses.

Right away Parham is vying for a TE5 role, a spot that might not even exist. And he is contending with another UDFA tight end, Rodney Williams, for that spot.

Final Word

It is tough to say Parham will have much of an impact, if any, this season as a rookie. The injury history and relative inexperience at the position, as well as role, is tough to overlook. However, he’s certainly talented. Otherwise, Paton and co. wouldn’t have signed him to their class. The practice squad certainly isn’t a bad place to start a career while Parham adjusts to the NFL and bulks up.