Patriots Country

Patriots WR DeVante Parker Breakout Coming?

DeVante Parker could be in for a big season with the New England Patriots.

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

New England Patriots receiver DeVante Parker is entering his ninth NFL season, but has yet to emerge as the type of player worthy of being the No. 14 overall pick, like he was in 2014, courtesy of the Miami Dolphins.

Parker, 30, is entering his second season with the Pats and hopes to build off his 539-yard season.

Patriots receiver DeVante Parker looks over his shoulder to Raven defenders in pursuit after a 40yd gain in the first quarter. Patriots home opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept 25, 2022.
Cred: USA Today, via The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

ESPN insider Dan Graziano wouldn't be surprised if Parker experiences a renaissance and career year this season.

Parker, a first-round pick by Miami in 2015, is having an outstanding summer as the Patriots' top wide receiver and could be poised for a great year in Bill O'Brien's offense," ESPN writes. "Now, yes, I'm well aware that we've heard this kind of stuff before on Parker. Somewhat amazingly, he's headed into his ninth NFL season. In only one of the previous eight has he managed to stay healthy enough to play every game. He has always seemed to have the ability to be a No. 1 wide receiver, but he has never really sustained that level of performance."

With an injury to second-year pro Tyquan Thornton, Parker has the chance to keep the No. 2 receiver job behind JuJu Smith-Schuster. 

There will also be opportunities for rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte to make an impact, but early in the season, Mac Jones will likely turn to Parker early and often.

Parker is set to make his season debut when the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles at home. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, September 10 at Gillette Stadium.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

Home/News