Carroo and Parker were big pieces in their respective drafts.
Carroo sat at the back end of a deep Wide Receiver core for most of the season.
With Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills so banged up, they were limited in Friday’s practice and are listed as questionable for the game against the Chargers. So, it’s likely that Leonte Carroo and DeVante Parker will need to step up to help Ryan Tannehill have a good game and for the Miami Dolphins to win.
Yes, Ajayi, the Offensive Line and the defense run have a higher priority. But, key passes and even a solid day through the air will be crucial for the Dolphins to pull out a victory and keep the wining streak going.
Adam Gase has had alot of help from Landry and Stills making big plays and pumping up the output of the Dolphins offense. With both of them at the very least playing far less than 100% (of course, with Landry that’s still better than most in the league) it will force others to step into their roles.
Stills has played the over-the-top role, and Landry has been the underneath role. Together they have stretched the secondary and put points on in chunks and made huge 1st downs. But, what if they can’t play or have limited snaps? It will certainly fall on Parker and Carroo to fill those roles respectively.
Carroo and Parker will likely play key roles against the Chargers.
The good news is that Parker, who has struggled all season with injuries, isn’t listed with even so much as a stubbed toe on the report and had full week practices. With so much talent and being injury free, Parker has a chance to shine and dominate a weak secondary. This is his biggest chance to prove he is more than just potential. With Stills a Free Agent in 2017, a big game this week and the weeks that follow could make moving on from Stills far more palatable.
As for Carroo, Miami gave up their 2016 6th round pick and 2017’s 3rd and 4th round selections for him, this would be a great opportunity to validate the rather large expenditure. He has shown flashes and is built powerfully enough to work underneath. But, while Parker has the potential to outshine even a healthy Stills, not even the best pay per head websites are betting Carroo to be in even the same orbit as Landry. A good day for Carroo would be a “Landry light” level of production with some key first down grabs.
Should Parker and Carroo succeed, their success will go a long way to justifying their acquisitions. This will be especially true for Carroo whose pick was questioned due to the price and an already deep receiver core. Go Fins!!!