Miami Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker was expected to come in and become the team's No. 1 wide receiver from Day 1. Unfortunately, a surgically-repaired foot kept him sidelined for much of the offseason and two regular season games.
However, the 2015 first-rounder started to come on over the home stretch, and teammates are already praising his development in Year 2. Could Parker post that elusive breakout season that many were hoping for last year? His quarterback certainly thinks so.
"I expect big things out of him," Ryan Tannehill said. "I expect him to be a heck of a football player, a guy that other teams fear."
Linebacker Jelani Jenkins echoed Tannehill's confidence, saying, "I think WR DeVante is going to make a big step forward this year. I'm excited to see what he's going to do."
Parker says that he is 100 percent healthy and more confident this season. He hopes to build on his solid play during Miami's final six games last year when he caught 22 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns.
"I feel like my route detail is getting a lot better," Parker said. "But we still have things we need to work on a little bit. [I'm] just coming out to practice every day and just get better on everything."
Rookie head coach Adam Gase is working with Parker for the first time this offseason, though he's familiar with the receiver's scouting report. As offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears last year, Gase broke down tape of both Parker and Kevin White.
"He's doing a good job as far as knowing what to do," Gase said. "He's battling [cornerback Byron] Maxwell a lot it seems like. He has had some snaps where he has won, and he has had some snaps where he has lost. He's feeling his way through. When you're learning a new offense and trying to get the details of the routes down and you're being challenged by a guy that's practicing really well right now, it can be a challenge for a young player."
Parker's development bodes well for Tannehill, who enters a crucial fifth season.
"He can make big plays down the field [and] inside," Tannehill said. "He's a big bodied guy. He's a guy that we're going to want to use in the red zone and we're going to want to use him on third downs and to stretch the field, as well."
