Miami Dolphins training camp preview: DeVante Parker
By Brian Miller
For the third year in a row Miami Dolphins coaches are saying all the right things about receiver DeVante Parker. With training camp mere weeks away, can he turn that corner?
DeVante Parker is an enigma. Full of talent that could put him in line with players like Julio Jones and A.J. Green. Unrealized talent that is being wasted for who knows what reason. Simply put, Parker continues to be his own cornerback.
There are times when Parker will light up a play and make that amazing catch that the best receivers in the NFL make but the very next play or game he disappears leaving everyone to wonder that the deal is. The word inconsistent is an understatement.
Reports over his entire pro-career say that he struggles to play with even minor injuries. That his mental make-up tends to dwell on those nicks and he can’t find a way to play through the pain or the nagging aches. At times it seems as though that is true.
Parker almost seems like an injury waiting to happen. Never serious but serious enough that he misses time. Now entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract we sit back and wonder if this year will be the turning point. He has a lot of reasons to make that so.
More from Dolphins News
- Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
The Dolphins picked up Parker’s fifth year option which will pay him around $9.5 million in 2019. The option is guaranteed against injury only so the Dolphins could walk away at any time between now and then provided he is capable of playing in 2019.
The proverbial ball is now in Parker’s court. Parker is going to want an extension and big hefty pay raise after the 2019 season but he has yet to give Miami a reason to want to extend him. This is Parker’s year. He has to prove one, that he can be a difference maker on the field, and then two, that he can repeat that next year. In other words, he has to prove he is worth $9.5 million in 2019 and then prove he is worth a new contract after that.
That is a lot of proving that Parker needs to do.
Perhaps the biggest issue with Parker is the fact he has the talent. He has great hands, a decent amount of speed for a player his size and he can run routes. He simply can’t do it with any degree of consistency. This is what needs to change in training camp this year. And why is one of the players to watch.