Parker Looking to Join Exclusive Club

DeVante Parker said it time and time again before he broke out with his huge 2019 season: All he needed to succeed was to stay healthy.

While playing all 16 games for the first time in his career last year, Parker had his first 1,000-yard receiving season when he finished with 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns on 72 catches. The first two numbers were the best in the AFC among wide receivers.

The big question, of course, is whether Parker can do it again.

If he's able to have a second consecutive 1,000-yard season, he would join an exclusive club for the Dolphins as only the sixth wide receiver with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

The first to do it, ironically, is somebody who didn't even play college football: Mark Duper. The college track star had 1,000-yard seasons in 1983-84 and was followed by fellow Marks Brother Mark Clayton (1988-89), Irving Fryar (1993-94), Brandon Marshall (2010-11) and Brian Hartline (2012-13).

Interestingly, no Dolphins player has ever had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Given his physical ability, the key for Parker — more than anything — will be being able to stay in the lineup.

No surprise then that when he was asked for his goal for 2020, he simply replied: “Staying healthy (and) playing 16 games, that’s it.”

A lot of that, however, will come down to luck, though there are things Parker can do to limit his chances of injuries, and that's taking care of his body.

It's something Parker has said he really focused on last offseason.

It appears he's doing whatever he can this year as well to put himself in the best position possible to succeed.

“Obviously DeVante had a solid year last year," head coach Brian Flores said. "What I liked about him over the course of the offseason, virtual meetings, it just seemed like he was — I know he was working extremely hard from a conditioning standpoint, catching balls, route-running. I’m hoping to see improvements in all of those areas: catching the football, route-running, obviously it’s a new offense so understanding his position and a few different positions offensively.

"I think he’s done a good job. I think we’re still in the early stages here. I think he’s feeling more comfortable within the offense and he just needs to keep stringing good days together. I’m very pleased with DeVante thus far.”

With Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson having opted out because of COVID concerns, Parker has become an increasingly important player for an offense that went from having a lot of depth at wide receiver to one with a lot of unproven players at the position.

Along with a bigger focus on taking care of his body, Parker also had intensified his film study. He said the way he watches film is a lot different this year.

"You have to see who you are going up against that week, especially if they are one of the top corners," Parker said. "You just have to be prepared to come out. The defensive back might switch up their technique or something and you have to know that, things like that.”

When it comes to top corners, there's maybe nobody better than Stephon Gilmore, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. And we all know what Parker did to him, putting up the best receiving numbers of any New England opponent last season during the Dolphins' victory at Gillette Stadium in the finale.

It was an elite performance by a wide receiver who truly was elite in the final weeks of the 2019 season.

Parker wants to show it wasn't just a one-time thing.

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