Don’t look now, but DeVante Parker may be positioning himself to have Dolphins fans everywhere eat crow. Parker’s first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins have been nothing short of a disappointment — the receiver couldn’t seem to stay healthy, ended up in former coach Adam Gase’s doghouse and wasn’t particularly productive even when he was able to get on the field. And so when the Dolphins opted to renegotiate with Parker on a two-year contract this spring, it drew a collective groan.
Here we go again.
But this time, Parker is playing for keeps. Maybe it’s the added pressure of being on a short-term contract, or maybe the coaching staff has just really connected with Parker in the way that no one else who has served on the Dolphins staff had been able to. But Parker looks like a different beast this season.
To date, Parker has logged 18 receptions for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Dolphins 6 games this season. That paces him out over 16 games to finish with a stat line of 48 receptions, 757 yards and 8 touchdowns. Parker’s career bests in those categories to date?
Receptions: 57 (2017)
Yards: 744 (2016)
Touchdowns: 4 (2016)
And so not only is Parker finding the end zone more often, he’s making more happen with each catch. His 15.8 yards per catch is his best since 2015 — and if the Dolphins stay committed to playing Ryan Fitzpatrick, that number should be considered stable. And that puts Parker on the fast track to remaining a Miami Dolphin in 2020 and — for the first time in a long time — a source of optimism for the fanbase moving forward.
