Confidence is one of the many attributes necessary to be a true number one receiver in the modern NFL. The swag, the belief that you can make a game-altering play at any moment, beat any corner or coverage sent in your direction, catch any pass lobbed your way. We’ve seen what a difference a number one, an alpha, can make for young QBs in the NFL, from Patrick Mahomes to Josh Allen to Joe Burrow. Many Patriots fans believe adding one to the team could unlock the potential of QB Mac Jones and really set the offense into motion. Apparently, there’s one receiver on the team that believes the Pats already have that guy.
On a recent Instagram post handing out grades to players for the 2022 season, from Patriots fan site @GilletteNation, Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker responded to the idea that he can be a legitimate number one receiver with, “I am that guy” (accompanied by the shrugging guy emoji). Parker just completed his first season in Foxborough, an up-and-down year where he was healthy enough to play in only 12 contests, one of those cut short by a concussion that forced him to miss three ensuing games. He finished with 31 receptions, on 47 targets, for 537 yards and three touchdowns. A modest statline for someone the Pats traded for last offseason in hopes of him becoming the big bodied downfield threat the team has lacked and needed desperately for years.
Parker and his health almost get a pass for 2022 given the struggles of the Patriots offense this past season, struggles that are at this point infamous and almost don't need revisiting. No receiver surpassed their receiving totals from the previous season (only Jakobi Meyers upped his TD total from two to six in 2022). There was instability, uncertainty and frustration by the bushel on this iteration of the Pats passing attack, and perhaps the potency of Parker on a Patriots offense can only be judged when stability and confidence are brought back with a new coordinator (the team is searching currently for a new OC as you may have heard via a press release!) A new system and a slight revamping of the receiving corps could help drastically. Nelson Agholor is all but gone. Jakobi Meyers is not a true number one but is dependable and is a free agent likely to be paid handsomely someplace. Who knows what’s to come of Kendrick Bourne after his disappointing and befuddling 2022. And Tyquan Thornton is small, fast and still learning the position at the pro level. There have been rumblings that football minds inside the building believe the team needs to upgrade the skill at receiver, possibly via trade (DeAndre Hopkins opposite DeVante Parker would be quite imposing). All of these factors could weigh on Parker’s 2023 stats and impact on the offense.
Pats fans online see a belief in Parker being a quality receiver and key contributor next season, but perhaps not a true alpha number one. He feels otherwise, which no matter the role he has, is the kind of confidence and belief this team will need to rebuild and compete in the AFC in 2023 and beyond.
