One beneficiary of the Miami Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill-for-Jay Cutler swap appears to be receiver Devante Parker.
In Cutler's two drives Thursday night, Parker was targeted four times -- including a beautiful 31-yard connection that was wiped out by a penalty. The quarterback raved about his young receiver after the game, comparing him to Alshon Jeffrey, his former wideout with the Chicago Bears.
"I think he's kind of a faster Alshon, a little bit," Cutler said, via the Miami Herald. "He's got a lot of range. Back-shoulder, over the top. He's got great hands. And he can burn you up if you get (stuck) flat-footed."
Whether Parker is faster than Jeffrey is beside the point. The takeaway is that after only a handful of practices and one game, Cutler seems taken with the third-year pro.
While Parker saw the majority of Cutler's targets, Jarvis Landry earned just one pass from the starting quarterback, a designed WR screen that went for -3 yards.
Whereas Landry was the beneficiary of Tannehill's quick-pass attack in past years, Parker could thrive with Cutler's willingness to take risks down the field.
"(Parker is) a really good player," Cutler said. "I think the sky's the limit for him. He's big, he's fast. ... A deep threat."
Cutler added: "He naturally knows where the ball's going to go. He can throw the defender under his arm, top shoulder. I've just got to throw it. Some of these guys have a better feel than others, and he's one of those guys that knows where the balls going to go."
The connection has a few more weeks to fully blossom before the season opens, but the Dolphins brass must love how Cutler already seems to have unlocked the key to Parker's athleticism, which made him a first-round pick in 2015.
