The Dolphins spent a lot of time talking up wide receiver DeVante Parker last season with offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen, wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson and other predicting Parker would end the year with big numbers.
Whether because of Ryan Tannehill’s injury or other reasons, things did not play out that way. Parker put up a year that looked similar to his first two in the league and that’s led to a different approach this year.
Wide receivers coach Ben Johnson, who took over the job when Jefferson was bumped to assistant head coach, said that approach involves fewer grandiose predictions and more day-to-day work.
“We were making these giant claims about him last year,” Johnson said, via the Miami Herald. “Now just one-day-at-a-time mentality. Keep stacking good days on top of each other.”
Head coach Adam Gase said earlier in the offseason that he’s seen a renewed sense of purpose in Parker and Johnson concurs, saying that Parker “understands the urgency and how important this year is” for him. The coming months will show if that leads to the kind of results the Dolphins were expecting last year or if Parker’s potential remains more appealing than his production.
