What does a guy have to do? The Miami Dolphins were initially shut out of the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster — despite a booming season from Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker. Yesterday, the NFL announced that Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was dropping out of the Pro Bowl, opening the door for Parker to make the leap into the Pro Bowl after all of the fuss.
Except Parker wasn’t the one tabbed for promotion to the Pro Bowl, despite the fact that he led the AFC in receiving yards among wide receivers this year.
The player who did get the call up? Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton — another young breakout receiver who enjoyed a very good 2019 season. Sutton, too, deserves a Pro Bowl spot this season — but tasking someone to build a resume that would be considered more “worthy” of Pro Bowl honors than DeVante Parker would be a tough challenge.
2019 Courtland Sutton versus 2019 DeVante Parker
Receptions: 72 (Sutton) :: 72 (Parker)
Receiving Yards: 1,112 (Sutton) :: 1,202 (Parker)
Receiving Touchdowns: 6 (Sutton) :: 9 (Parker)
Yards per reception: 15.4 (Sutton) :: 16.7 (Parker)
So again we ask: what does a guy have to do? Parker’s season was far superior to Sutton in the way of production — and put up these numbers with an offense that was historically bad through the first four games of the 2019 season. It’s a frustrating, given that the Dolphins don’t have a representative and Parker certainly deserved a call. But instead, we’ll hope another opening rolls around and Parker gets the call he deserves.
Not being in the initial group was bad, but understandable when considering the household names the AFC featured. But for Parker to not be the first call up for a young breakout player? When Parker has better statistics across the board? That’s indefensible.
