How DeVante Parker Can Fix Big Problem With Patriots’ Receiving Corps

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots traded for DeVante Parker to add a new dimension to their receiving corps.

So far, so good.

The veteran wideout has been one of the standouts at Patriots training camp thus far, dominating in the red zone early in camp and pulling down highlight-reel receptions on a near-daily basis.

Before Tuesday’s practice, Parker received a positive review from head coach Bill Belichick, who said the former Miami Dolphin is fitting in well.

“DeVante has made some really good plays,” Belichick said. “Some of things we’re asking him to do are different. I don’t know exactly what he did in Miami, but he had some coaches down there — Chad (O’Shea), and George (Godsey) — that had been (in New England) before. But I don’t know how similar that is or isn’t; doesn’t really matter. But yeah, he’s shown up positively through the spring and through training camp.”

Parker said Monday that this Patriots system and the one he ran in Miami are quite similar, in fact, and that those commonalities have made it easy for him to pick things up.

Long known as a receiver who doesn’t generate much separation but thrives in high-traffic situations, Parker beat Malcolm Butler for two long, contested completions during Monday’s practice, the Patriots’ first in full pads. Butler later responded with an end-zone pass breakup, and Parker said after that practice that he’s still working on “being more physical in certain situations.”

His physicality has been a boon for the Patriots’ receiver group, though, as position mates Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor aren’t players who can outmuscle many defenders or consistently win near the goal line.

N’Keal Harry was supposed to fill that important role for New England, but the 2019 first-rounder never developed and was dealt to Chicago before training camp. Quarterback Mac Jones’ only reliable red-zone threat last season was tight end Hunter Henry, who caught nine of Jones’ 22 touchdown passes.

The 6-foot-3, 219-pound Parker ranked last among qualified NFL pass-catchers in average separation last season, according to Next Gen Stats. He was second-to-last in 2020 and sixth-to-last in 2019, the best year of his career to date. But no player has more tight-window receptions over the last five seasons.

“He’s a great receiver and he’s played a long time in this league, and he understands how to attack the football,” Jones said Tuesday. “We’ve got a lot of guys who do a lot of different things, and my job is to hit them in the hands and they’ll make the play, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Parker projects as a key weapon in New England’s offense and could emerge as the Patriots’ No. 1 receiver if he can avoid the injury issues that have plagued him throughout in his career. He’s been a full participant thus far, taking part in every open practice since he arrived in Foxboro this spring.

The Patriots also have Meyers, Bourne, Agholor and second-round rookie Tyquan Thornton at wide receiver, with players like Ty Montgomery and Tre Nixon competing for roster spots.

“We’ll see how everything fits together,” Belichick said. “Good to have (Parker), great to work with him. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a very competitive position at receiver. There’s a number of players there that have all been productive either here or in previous years that are back with the team, or shown up in the camps that we’ve had so far. So we’ll see how all that sorts out.”