LA Chargers: Why Donald Parham is more important than you think

2. Donald Parham can help solve the tight end problem in the coming years

The LA Chargers have a lot to figure out at the tight end position. Both Hunter Henry and Virgil Green are free agents after this year. Henry is playing on a franchise tag and is going to get free-agent offers and Green is getting up there in age.

Henry would return to the Chargers in a perfect world but we are not in a perfect world. The team has limited funds that need to be allocated between several other free agents. Henry is solid but it would not be surprising to see the team let him walk in favor of cheaper alternatives.

That is where Parham comes into play.

If Parham proves that his solid play from the XFL can translate into the NFL then it makes it easier for the Chargers to solve the long-term tight end problem. Suddenly, the team has an above-average pass-catching tight end (if all goes as planned) and can use a mid-to-late round pick on a blocking tight end/secondary pass catcher.

That is a much cheaper alternative and is one that is absolutely possible if Parham plays really well in 2020. Of course, if he plays poorly then it is a moot point, but there is a lot of potential there and I think his athleticism will fit in nicely with this new-look offense.

As much as I love Hunter Henry, I would probably rather have Parham and a young tight end (assuming Parham can be 75%+ of what Henry is) for a much lower cost rather than overpay for Henry and potentially miss out on Keenan Allen or Melvin Ingram or even bigger names like Derwin James in the future.

There really is no other tight end on the roster that stands out that could potentially solve that same problem, hence the importance of Donald Parham.