Parker doubtful for Tennessee
Oft-injured receiver’s broken finger likely will sideline him for opener.
DeVante Parker is not expected to make
DAVIE — it back in time for the Miami Dolphins season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, a league source said Wednesday.
Parker has a broken finger and while there was hope the timing of the injury would actually be a bit of good luck, yeah, well, no such luck.
Head coach Adam Gase says he’s “still waiting and seeing” regarding Parker’s status and that
the 6-foot-3, 216-pound wide receiver is “doing a lot of cardio.” Still, he remains a “DNP” on the injury report.
Fans are so down on Parker, they’ve all but
dismissed that he can make a significant contribution this season. He’s even gone undrafted in some fantasy football leagues.
It would be a mistake to dismiss Parker’s size, speed and talent completely. In the same way it was probably a mistake to hype him as the second coming of Jerry Rice the past few seasons.
The truth almost always lies somewhere in between.
This is not an issue of toughness. Parker has shown toughness before, playing through injury. This is about if he has a reasonable chance to catch the ball. And if it makes sense to leave open the possibility of setting Parker back even further.
So, the fourth-year wideout will miss the opener. And maybe a week or two after that. His goal was to make the opener. He’ll try now for Week 2.
But this leaves Miami without the one offensive player — we could debate Kenyan Drake — capable of making the most exciting, dynamic, game-changing play on any given down.
And though we didn’t see it in the preseason, Ryan Tannehill and Parker seemed to have something going in 2016. They have decent chemistry.
In Parker’s place, the Dolphins will trot out tiny but speedy Albert Wilson (5-foot-7) and tinier and speedier Jakeem Grant (5-7). Kenny Stills is listed at 6-foot-1 and Danny Amendola is listed at 5-11.
There is depth. These are legitimate professional receivers.
This also means that, especially in the red zone, Tannehill may look more to 6-6 rookie tight end Mike Gesicki on Sunday. Gesicki may be lined up on the outside a few extra times.
As for Wilson and Grant, they are capable. It’s on Gase to utilize their versatility with creativity. They can line up in the backfield, with Drake lined up outside.
Miami, it seems, wants to roll out an offense that leans on short passes, which is not a terrible idea, as it may actually create some second- and third-down and shorts.
It’s easy to dismiss Parker for the 2018 season.
But it’s a long season. Parker is still tall. Still fast. Still athletic. And still capable of making game-changing plays down the field.
Just not on Sunday.