The Miami Dolphins don’t exactly have a ton of candidates to get a call to play in the 2020 Pro Bowl early next season, but the team does have a few players that could make a case. From a statistical standpoint, Miami doesn’t own any box score warriors that would demand representation — and that’s perfectly fine. But when the season comes to a close in two weeks, the Dolphins are likely to have two players with a legitimate argument.
Those two players are linebacker Jerome Baker and wide receiver DeVante Parker.
Parker has enjoyed a career resurgence under new head coach Brian Flores. And with two games left to play, Parker has set career highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (954) and touchdowns (8). Across the scope of the NFL, 59 receptions ranks 40th in the league. Parker’s 954 yards are 21st in the NFL (8th among AFC wide receivers) and his 8 receiving touchdowns are tied for 4th most in the NFL (T-1st among AFC receivers). There’s a legitimate foundation to build his argument upon.
Health willing, Parker is going to surpass 1,000 yards this season for the first time and will probably tack on another touchdown along the way. Of receivers with 50 or more receptions, Parker’s 16.2 yards per catch is 6th best in the NFL. Should the AFC see a receiver drop out for injury or due to playing in the Super Bowl, Parker should get a call. He deserves one.
As far as Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker is concerned, the Dolphins’ second-year linebacker is 18th in the NFL in total tackles with 106. The two AFC inside linebackers with Pro Bowl recognition this year are Indianapolis’ Darius Leonard and New England’s Dont’a Hightower.
Leonard is a well deserved selection despite having less tackles than Baker (104) — he’s made a ton of splash impact plays this season and has been a force all around with 5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 10 passes defensed. It doesn’t get much better than that. Hightower? He’s got 60 tackles on the season with 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. It’s pretty incredible that the AFC didn’t have a better second nominee as an off-ball linebacker. Baker has seen some of his impact plays negated due to penalties this season, so his box score stats don’t match up well in terms of splash plays. But if Hightower has a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster, Baker can make a case for a spot, too.
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