Miami Dolphins expected to release DeVante Parker by next week
As expected, the Miami Dolphins are ready to move on from WR DeVante Parker, and all indications are that he will be released ahead of the free agency period.
Last season, the Miami Dolphins picked up their fifth-year option on WR DeVante Parker. With the ability to rescind that at anytime, that was not an indication that they were ready to hold on to their former 2015 first round pick. To no one’s surprise, the Dolphins are poised to move on from Parker, and he is expected to be released within the week ahead of March 13th when free agency officially begins.
In a fifth year with the Dolphins, Parker would be due $9.4 million in 2019. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, that money would become fully guaranteed on March 13th, the first day of the new league year. Jackson made mention of this, among other contract stipulations that the Dolphins have in his latest article.
There are reportedly teams that are interested in Parker, and Miami is still holding out hope for a potential trade. It’s unclear what kind of compensation they could expect to get in return. Ahead of last season’s trade deadline, the Dolphins were open to trading Parker, and asking for a third round pick. That came off as a pretty steep asking price, and Miami could consider themselves very lucky if they were able to net a Day 3 selection ahead of next Wednesday.
Parker never panned out here in South Florida after the Dolphins took him with the 14th overall selection in 2015. He’s totaled just nine touchdowns in his four-year career, and never surpassed more than 744 yards in any given season. More importantly, Parker never seemed to be able to keep himself healthy, and has not yet completed a full 16 game season as a result.
Some among the NFL still believe that with the right team, Parker could be a terrific player. He possesses the size and the athletic ability to do so. Parker showcased some of that ability in a Thursday night game against Houston this past October, finishing with six receptions for 134 yards. Parker had a few of those types of games in his career at Miami, but the problem has always been his consistency. It’s clear that a change of scenery could be good for him, and definitely for the Dolphins organization.
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
Miami will have many questions to answer regarding their wide receivers this off-season. It remains unclear as to whether or not they will bring back Danny Amendola. There is the possibility that the team may even look to trade Kenny Stills. With Miami looking to rebuild, these are the types of decisions that need to be addressed.
Whatever the Dolphins decide to do with their current players, they will still need to find some new wide receivers one way or another. Receiver is not Miami’s biggest need of the off-season, but it is still a need. The 2019 draft class has a strong group of receivers, and I would expect the Dolphins to pick one up at some point during the three-day process.
Don’t expect the Dolphins to use their first round pick on one, however. I saw a mock draft recently that had Miami taking D.K. Metcalf with the 13th overall pick. That’s a person who clearly doesn’t understand what direction the Dolphins are taking. Instead, I could see Miami taking a wide receiver as early as the third round.
As is the case with all of the positions, it will be interesting to see what Miami does at wide receiver. Parting with Parker seems like the easiest and most logical solution at this point, but we’ll see how the rest of the field plays out here very shortly.