By the time Week 14’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs came to a close, you’d be forgiven to not recognize any of the offensive skill players on the field for the Dolphins. As Miami looked to continue their comeback bid (and was nearly successful in doing so), Miami’s featured receivers in crunch time were Mack Hollins, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Antonio Callaway. Mike Gesicki left in the fourth quarter due to a shoulder injury. Jakeem Grant went down earlier in the game as well after battling a lower body injury in practice the week of the game. And DeVante Parker, Miami’s alpha receiver, was also no where to be seen.
It has since been revealed that Parker has a slight hamstring sprain; a troublesome injury with the New England Patriots looming on the schedule as the next opponent. Why is Parker’s availability such a big deal? Because his absence in the second half of the Dolphins’ Week 1 clash with New England proved to be crippling for the offense; Miami had little in the way of receivers to threaten New England’s secondary and win routes one on one.
And so the Dolphins will collectively hold their breath as it relates to Parker and hope that the former 1st-round pick is fit to play on Sunday. The good news? There seems to be optimism that Parker could be ready to go on Sunday. Even if he isn’t at 100%, Parker’s presence in the receiving room would free up more opportunities for the Dolphins to find winning targets elsewhere between the tight end group and Bowden Jr, who has come on strong for Miami over the last two weeks and logged a total of 136 yards of offense for Miami over his past two weeks.
As Miami’s search for long-term answers in the receiver room continues, Bowden Jr’s recent play will buy him some faith within the building — but having Parker present to keep matchups more favorable for the Dolphins’ rookie receiver puts him in a better position to succeed; and thus Parker’s ability to dress on Sunday will be a huge variable as the Dolphins hunt their ninth win of the 2020 season.