With the playoffs falling out of sight, the Miami Dolphins could begin to think about the future of the team and where they need to improve on. Following a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Dolphins are dropping fast in their division and now the long-term outlook comes into play. The biggest question mark of that is DeVante Parker who was active on four snaps in Week 11. Could the receiver sit the rest of the year?
Parker's rookie season has not gone as planned. The wide receiver started things off with a foot injury. Since returning he has yet to really make an impact on the field while missing time for lingering pain following the surgery on his foot. The first-round draft pick was expected to run tandem with Jarvis Landry this season and instead has since fallen to No.5 on the depth chart behind Rishard Matthews, Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings. That was demonstrated when he only came onto the field for four snaps and failed to get his name in the boxscore in Week 11.
According to the Palm Beach Post, sitting Parker for the season could be the option the Dolphins run with. If/when the team is out of the playoff picture, there is no need to play the receiver. Instead, Parker can focus on getting fully healthy and rebuilding himself for the long-run. The Dolphins used a top-15 draft pick on him for a reason. Allowing him to go out and aggravated the surgically repaired foot could be a bad idea.
The Dolphins should also increase the workload of Jay Ajayi according to the Palm Beach Post. In Week 11, the run game was a struggle. Lamar Miller had seven carries for 44 yards while Ajayi had four carries for 13 yards. Neither player looked good, but the Dolphins are trying to groom Ajayi to be the future of the run game. Giving him more time on the field down the stretch will help that happen after his missed the first seven games with a rib injury. Miller is hitting free agency this offseason. If Ajayi improves, the Dolphins could favor the rookie over paying Miller more money.
The Dolphins believe they have players in place to excel for the future. Ryan Tannehill along with Parker and Ajayi represent the future of the team. Allowing them to develop this year will be critical in determining just how big of a factor they can be the franchise going forward.