Is Xavien Howard the reason for DeVante Parker’s soft camp so far?
By Brian Miller
DeVante Parker isn’t being talked about. Not in a good way. Xavien Howard however is. And he is the one covering Parker.
While questions continue to percolate regarding the Dolphins former first round wideout, the selection of Xavien Howard is being praised by some and even T.J. McDonald the Dolphins safety is saying all the right things as well.
McDonald called Howard a shutdown corner. That’s a big compliment to a corner who basically walked onto the field mid-season last year and suddenly saw the light come on. His two interceptions on Tom Brady alone is a highligh reel.
Back to Parker. According to the local media covering practice, Howard has been lined up primarily on Parker. Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel felt it needed to mention it on social media.
Now I realize why DeVante Pärker has had a quiet camp. Xavien Howard shadowed him all the way down field in one-on-one without touching him and broke up the TD pass at the last second. Howard has the talent to be a Pro Bowler.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) July 30, 2018
This could seriously go in a lot of different directions. Is Howard showcasing himself so much that he is good enough to shut down Parker or is Parker that bad that he is making Howard look really good? Are we not seeing a lot out of Parker because Howard is that good?
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One thing is for certain there is a lot of hype around Howard and Parker is continuing with his average play. Following practice today, the media didn’t ask Adam Gase about Parker but did ask about other receivers on the team. Perhaps the media doesn’t see a need to ask the tough questions.
Parker supposedly had a terrific off-season and really re-defined a lot of his personal habits, his eating habits, and even his workout regiments. Hopefully he is taking this all slowly and really working on the fine points that have been missing since he arrived in the league.
Whether Parker or Howard winning the battles it can only make both better players as camp moves forward. The real test will come when the players are facing teams wearing different colored jerseys.