Jay Cutler and DeVante Parker are developing a quarterback-wide receiver relationship that could take the Miami Dolphins' passing game to levels it hasn't reached in years. That's evidenced by their 72-yard completion against Philadelphia, 31-yard completion against Baltimore (negated due to a holding penalty), and 30-yard completion in practice during Cutler's first week on the team.
It seems only a matter of time before the strong-armed Cutler and the immensely talented Parker get their big-play passing game going, the one in which Cutler throws the ball somewhere in the same area code as Parker in 1-on-1 coverage, and the receiver makes a dramatic grab.
"I think if you notice," coach Adam Gase said, "it's usually if a guy is on No. 11 (Parker) he'll throw it up in the air to let him go get it."
But both Cutler and Parker have major hurdles to clear before the Dolphins can bank on them being a game-changing duo.
Cutler, signed Aug. 7 after a three-month retirement, must continue to show he can be the same player he was in 2015, when he had 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a career-best 92.3 passer rating in Chicago with Gase as his offensive coordinator.
Parker, the 2015 first-round pick, must continue to show he'll be a 16-game threat for the first time in his career, not a player who teases and tantalizes but lacks consistency.
Realistically, these concerns might not be eased before midseason.
Until then, the Dolphins can joyfully watch these two perform their aerial ballet and hope it continues.
Cutler remembers when it occurred to him Parker might be a special talent.
"Day One," he said. "I mean, you watch him run, you watch him move, you watch his ability with the ball in the air and you kind of know what you got pretty quickly with that kind of talent."
Parker, for now, seems to be the biggest beneficiary of Cutler's aggressive mindset. That began emerging in that practice in which Cutler threw a back shoulder pass for Parker deep down the sideline.
"I feel like during practice that he just wanted to launch it up one time and see what happens, and he did and I came down with it," Parker said. "Hopefully I can continue this connection with him."
Cutler was fairly sharp during the Dolphins' 38-31 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, going 5 for 8 for 105 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He distributed the ball well, too, hitting four receivers among those five completions _ tight end Julius Thomas had two receptions and a touchdown, and Parker, wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills had one apiece.
Cutler didn't limit his deep shots to Parker. He threw a 42-yard pass to Stills, who drew an interference penalty in the end zone, and had a 30-yard incompletion on an attempt to Landry.
Some have theorized Landry's role could be greatly diminished because of the Cutler-Parker relationship. Landry, a slot receiver in the final year of his contract, is tied with his friend Odell Beckham, Jr., of the New York Giants for most receptions since they both entered the league in 2014 with 288.
Cutler maintains he likes all of his receivers.
"They're really good players," he said. "They're going to get open, they're going to create opportunities for themselves. It's just kind of my job to get them the ball."
Parker has done that better than the others.
"He likes to throw it deep whenever he has a chance," the 6-foot-3 Parker said. "He likes tall receivers and likes guys who can go up get the ball."
The 72-yard completion, during which Parker went up high to catch the pass was the most recent example.
"It was just 1-on-1 (coverage)," Cutler said. "A guy like that, 1-on-1 opportunities, you've got to try and find those matchups for him and give him a shot at the ball, and he can do things like that."
