Miami Dolphins: Injury to DeVante Parker is a bad sign

The Miami Dolphins have high hopes for the 2015 season, but their first-round pick DeVante Parker is not off to the start he would have liked.

More from Miami Dolphins

In 2014, Parker suffered a broken foot in his final season at Louisville, which required a screw to be placed in his foot. Now, Parker has just underwent a surgery to replace that screw, and is expected to miss most of the offseason activities.

Parker left Thursday’s OTA’s with soreness in his foot, and after consulting with the team, they decided to take precaution with his foot and get the screw replaced.

The Dolphins drafted Parker with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The plan for the Dolphins has been to surround quarterback Ryan Tannehill with a talented receiving corps, and Parker was a big part of those plans.

In his four seasons at Louisville, Parker totaled 156 receptions, 2,775 receiving yards, 33 receiving touchdowns, and a very impressive 17.8 yards per reception. Before suffering the broken foot in 2014, Parker was easily on pace for his best season in college. In seven games in his senior season, Parker totaled 43 receptions, 855 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns, and 19.9 yards per reception.

The decision for Parker to have the surgery is an easy one for the Dolphins to make, as they obviously have him in their long-term plans.

There is a big downside to Parker having the surgery however, as it will cost the rookie likely almost all of Training Camp. For rookies, Training Camp is a very important time to learn the offense, and for wide receivers, it’s also important for getting used to their new quarterback.

Last season, New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. missed a lot of time in Training Camp with a hamstring injury. Beckham was a rare case of a rookie missing a lot of time in the offseason with an injury and then having an amazing rookie season. While a player like Beckham doesn’t come around all that often, Parker can use that as motivation to work hard despite not being able to participate in offseason programs.

The Dolphins’ offense should be able to survive without Parker, as they have a good receiving corps even without the talented rookie. Jarvis Landry had an exceptional rookie season, as he totaled 84 receptions, 758 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.

There were two notable offseason acquisitions by the Dolphins to upgrade their receiving corps, the first being the trade to acquire Kenny Stills from the New Orleans Saints. Stills is also another talented young receiver, who totaled 63 receptions, 931 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns in his sophomore year.

The veteran of the wide receiving corps is soon to be 32-year-old Greg Jennings. The Dolphins signing Jennings now becomes a great signing with the injury to Parker, as Jennings looks to be the main beneficiary if Parker is unable to go for the start of the season. Even if Parker is healthy for Week 1 there’s a chance he won’t be used enough if the coaching staff doesn’t think he’s ready.

The Dolphins hope that the surgery for Parker doesn’t set back his development too much, but if it does they do have good options to still help Tannehill succeed.

Next: How will Ryan Tannehill do in 2015?

More from NFL Spin Zone