WR Duel: DeVante Parker VS Courtland Sutton

During week six of the upcoming NFL season, the Miami Dolphins will be taking a visit to the mile high city to face off against the Denver Broncos. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton will be heading into his third NFL season while facing off against WR DeVante Parker who will be going into his sixth NFL season. 

Although both are at different times in their careers, they have both been chosen to be the first option at the receiver positions for their teams.

Is Drew Lock the Broncos Franchise Quarterback?

Sutton is just one of the weapons that the Broncos have been adding to help young quarterback Drew Lock. Since Denver is rolling with him again, it may be confident that he’s its QB of the future. If that’s the case, the Broncos taking two WRs early in the 2020 NFL Draft will pay off as they no longer have to use picks on trying to find a signal caller.

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The Dolphins on the other hand have been quiet at the receiver position during the 2020 offseason, keeping the same players that they had in the 2019 season. Miami has been on the lookout for its franchise QB, and now that they have drafted QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins now have the opportunity to fill other gaps in their offense.

Parker a Breakout Leader in 2019

Parker will easily be the leader of the group for Miami, as we saw him have a breakout season in his 2019 campaign– notching his first 1,000-yard season and playing a full 16 games for the first time in his five-year career. To top it all off, Parker finished tied for third in the league for receiving touchdowns (nine) and fifth in the league for receiving yards (1,202).

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New Guy Sutton Developing Early

Sutton is still fresh in the league and learning a developing offense that saw four wide receivers and one tight end drafted during the 2020 NFL draft. Additionally, it claimed another like-piece that was waived from the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Sutton in his rookie season gathered a strong 704 receiving yards and followed up in his sophomore season with his first 1,000-yard season. He finished 2019 with 1,112 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions, while nearly doubling his teammate, tight end Noah Fant, in receiving yards on the season.

Miami’s Horrible 2019 Rank Sparked Change in Secondary

The Dolphins were one of the worst teams in the league when it came to stopping the opposing QB, and in light of that Miami has made improvements to their secondary. 

During the 2020 offseason the Dolphins spent one of their three first round picks on cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, signed free agent cornerback Byron Jones originally from the Dallas Cowboys, and decided to keep safety Eric Rowe, even if they brought in Clayton Fejedelem from the Cincinnati Bengals as competition.

With those additions Miami will be looking to provide more of a challenge on the defensive side of the ball. Additionally, with so many young players starting on offense for Denver, this game could be a good opportunity for the Dolphins to show off their additions during the offseason.

Broncos Have a Notoriously Strong Defense

The Broncos however have been known for consistently having a strong defense. 

During the 2019 season, Denver’s defense hung around the middle of the pack in almost every category. Following that in the 2020 offseason, Denver traded for All-Pro CB A.J. Bouye, but also ended up losing another All-Pro CB in Chris Harris Jr. to the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. With the addition of Bouye it is a safe bet that he will take the lead on matching up against opponents’ best receivers, with that likely being the case when the Dolphins come to visit.

Parker Edges Out Sutton

It is hard to predict how these two WRs will do with both teams making strong additions to their secondaries and the competition looming in the WR corps. 

The Dolphins could still have quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the way which would be a help to Parker, considering they have an entire season of reps between the two. Denver is hoping Lock will take a step forward in his second season, but with most young QB’s after their first season, they struggle once the league has a full season of tape to set up a defensive game plan around.

With Fitzpatrick and Parker both being the veterans of these groups, and having proven year after year that they can still put up solid numbers, it is a safe bet that Parker will put himself ahead of the opposition regardless of which Broncos CB will be matched up against him.

– Garrison Pulley is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @gcooperpulley Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.