The Miami Dolphins are getting a welcomed sight back on the practice field as DeVante Parker makes his return. Following the departure of Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson, Brian Hartline and Charles Clay, the Dolphins drafted Parker in the first round to be their next-best wide receiver. However, a foot injury knocked him out just after rookie mini-camp. Now, Parker is back, but his impact is unclear heading into the first game of the season.
According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Parker has been cleared to practice and returned to the field on Monday. That makes the receiver a possibility for Week 1 of the season, but fans would be wise not to count on that happening just yet. Head coach Joe Philbin said the team wants to be patient with Parker and not rush the receiver into anything following the surgery. Parker told the media that he "pretty anxious to get out there" while quarterback Ryan Tannehill is excited to work with his new offensive weapon.
"Injuries are tough," Tannnehill said, via the Miami Herald. "I've had a similar injury with my foot. I know what he's going through and know the process. Excited to see him start moving around a little bit. I threw a few passes to him in pre-game so that's exciting. That's progress that I like seeing. You don't want to push him too early where, we've got him back for the first game and then his foot breaks down and we don't have him for the rest of the year."
For now, Parker will work in slowly. The Dolphins are content with their current rotation of Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, Greg Jennings and Rishard Matthews. That unit has looked strong and consistent in the regular season. The return of Parker will obviously alter things a bit. Matthews might be the unhappy one. At the start of the season, the receiver requested a trade from the Dolphins, but now he is thriving at the right time as offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and Tannehill praise his efforts so far.
"He has had a heck of a camp. We came in together, so I've spent a lot of time with him and seen him grow over the past four years," Tannehill said. "I would say that over the last six months I have seen the most growth from him. He is growing as a man, growing as a player, and developing his game in all aspects. His consistency is at an all-time high."
It will be hard to get all five wide receivers the right amount of action with the uptempo style of play Lazor works with. The coaching staff is very high on all of the players which could make the rotation interesting once the regular season starts.
