Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker catches a 9-yard touchdown pass as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson looks on.. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Contract: Signed through 2018; due to make $2.97 million in 2017
Pro Football Focus rank: 26th of 115
In 2016
Stats: 15 games played, 8 starts, 56 receptions, 744 yards, 13.3 average, 4 TDs
Notable moments: Caught winning 9-yard TD pass with 36 seconds in 14-10 victory over Rams. … Had 100-yard receiving days vs. Patriots and Chargers.
Dec. 22: "Dolphins WR DeVante Parker’s numbers way down lately"
It was under that last headline that my colleague covering the Dolphins, Jason Lieser, wrote, “It’s been another season of the Dolphins wondering what exactly they have in wide receiver DeVante Parker.”
And that, exactly, is the problem.
DeVante Parker grabs his back after landing hard attempting a catch in the third quarter vs. the 49ers. (Allen Eyestone/The Post)
The Dolphins invested the 14th overall pick in 2015 on Parker, have played 32 regular-season games since … and nobody — not the Dolphins, not me, not you, not even Parker — really knows what to make of it.
One week, Parker looks like he can be “one of the top guys,” both via his immense physical gifts and clutch plays such as his winning TD against the Rams. But too often, Parker can disappear for weeks, which explains the gobs of hair being yanked out by both Dolphins coaches and fantasy owners.
Here are some stats to consider: 53 percent of the time this past season, Parker failed to manage 50 receiving yards in a game, and 40 percent of the time, he couldn’t surpass 30 yards. Plus, Parker twice had cold streaks in which his three-game
totals were 65 yards or fewer.
It didn’t take coach Adam Gase long to see a wake-up call was needed. In August, he publicly called out Parker, questioning his toughness and whether he takes care of his body. Gase was tired of the never-ending drama surrounding which ache or which hamstring was going to leave the Dolphins hamstrung next.
“You just learn to fight through it,” Parker said in December of playing hurt. “At first you don’t think you can do it, but you just go along with it and get over it. … I think I’ve had a pretty good season. The injuries are the only thing that’s held me back. Other than that, I think I’ve had a productive season.”
It was in October that Parker boasted, “I am one of the best receivers in the league.”
And the evidence to prove that is … ? Parker finished with 744 yards. Know how many receivers had more? Fifty-three. Know which receiver ranked right above him, with 752 yards? Ted Ginn.