DeVante Parker downplayed his public spat with former Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers. Parker disagrees with Chambers’ assessment of his work ethic and maturity, but he agrees his career hasn’t been what anyone expected after the Dolphins made him the 14th overall pick in 2015.
“Not where I wanted to be,” Parker said, via Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel. “Just simple as that.”
Injuries have slowed Parker’s development, forcing him to miss five regular-season games and three preseason games. He sat out three games last season with a sprained ankle.
“Injury-prone” is one of many labels Parker hopes to shed this season.
“Just stay healthy,” Parker said. “And if I’m not healthy, fight through it.”
Chambers suggested Parker was lacking “hard work, dedication and technique” in a recent Miami Herald story. After Chambers, who trains NFL players at his fitness center in Davie, Florida, listed Parker as the third-best receiver on the team’s roster, Parker responded by tweeting, “Nobody cares about his opinion.”
“I do everything that the coaches tell me to do,” Parker said. “I just listen to what they say and they tell me what I need to do. . . . I come up here and just work hard every day. They tell me what I need to work on.”
The Dolphins continue to wait on Parker to break out. He has never had more than 57 catches, 744 yards and four touchdowns in a season.
“I’ve been really impressed since I’ve got here with his work ethic,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “The guy has spent a ton of time here in the offseason. . . . He seems like a very professional guy that is trying to get better every day.”
