DeVante Parker Injury: Updates on Dolphins WR's Foot and Return

Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker has played sparingly this season due to a foot injury, and the ailment continues to dog him during his rookie campaign.  

Continue for updates.

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Latest on Parker's Playing Status for Week 9 vs. Bills

Friday, Nov. 6

After leaving Miami's Week 8 loss to the New England Patriots due to an aggravation of his foot injury, Parker is not expected to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com.

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Parker, Campbell Comment on Injury

Friday, Nov. 6

While continued foot problems are likely to keep Parker on the sideline in Week 9, he does not believe it is a serious issue, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

News of Parker's injury setback comes just a couple of weeks after Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell felt as though the former Louisville standout was finally starting to get healthy, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport:

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He's getting healthier every practice. The foot injury held him back in training camp, and now that we finally got him healthy, it's all about catching up on his fundamentals. He'll flash. And when he flashes, you know what's to come but they are few and far between right now. He is improving every practice. When he's ready to go, we're going to cut him loose and let him go and you'll see a lot of him. So if he's not there, he's not ready.

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Campbell said there was "irritation" in the foot and it was a bigger problem than the team anticipated, but he'll be back next week, per Salguero.

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How Parker's Absence Impacts Dolphins

Parker has caught just four passes for 49 yards this season after undergoing foot surgery over the summer, and the first-round pick has yet to emerge as a key part of the Dolphins offense.

The Dolphins held high hopes for Parker when they selected him with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and this chronic foot problem could be a significant blow to his progress.

Parker caught Miami’s eye when he tallied 855 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in 2014 at Louisville in only seven games (he dealt with a foot injury at the beginning of the season), as well as a school-record 33 career touchdown receptions.

He doesn’t boast game-changing speed, but if he is out for extensive time, the Dolphins will miss his ability to track the ball in the air and come down with it in traffic.

Fortunately for the Dolphins, Parker is not an indispensable piece in the passing attack at this point of his career. Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and Rishard Matthews provide depth at the receiver spot for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Landry stands out after setting a franchise rookie record with 84 catches in 2014, Stills and Jennings are proven commodities, and Matthews has arguably been the team's best receiver this season.

The Dolphins have the pieces in place to survive Parker’s injury in the short term with this latest setback, especially when the running game, featuring Lamar Miller, is taken into consideration.

Yes, Miami could use Parker’s ability on the field if it hopes to compete with the New England Patriots and the rest of the AFC East, but the rookie’s long-term health is far more important for this franchise.