The Miami Dolphins regained the services of the team’s starting center and one of the offense’s top playmakers with a month left in the 2021 regular season.
DeVante Parker and Michael Deiter were removed from injured reserve and added to the 53-man roster on Saturday, hours ahead of Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants.
It’s possible that both of the season-opening starters could resume their important roles on offense against the Giants. The Dolphins had one available spot on the 53-man roster this week to use for Parker, and waived backup center Cameron Tom to make room for Deiter.
Miami will likely try to re-sign Tom to the practice squad if he’s not claimed off the waiver wire by another NFL team on Monday.
Parker, who has caught 25 passes for 327 yards and scored one touchdown in the five games he’s played in 2021, was the team’s leading receiver before a hamstring injury led to him missing games, and eventually being placed on injured reserve at the end of October.
Parker’s return will likely allow tight end Mike Gesicki to return to his role as the team’s primary H-back and flex weapon. Gesicki has been playing on the boundary as a traditional receiver the past month.
Parker’s addition gives quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a big-body target who has turned 323 receptions into 4,539 yards and 23 touchdowns in the 88 games he’s played since being a 2015 first-round selection. Parker has played three games with Tagovailoa this season, and has led the team in receptions in all three contests.
Deiter, a former Wisconsin standout the Dolphins selected in third round of the 2019 NFL draft, started the first three games at center. But he suffered a right leg and foot injury in practice back in early October, and has spent the past two months rehabbing the injury with the hopes of making a return.
Miami has used Greg Mancz and Austin Reiter as the team’s starting center for the past two months. Last week Reiter had some snapping issues, one of which led to an end-of-the-half field goal by the Carolina Panthers.
Deiter concluded his second week of practice on Friday and was seemingly given the green light by Miami’s medical team to return to action. The Dolphins also worked out Mancz, who is also on injured reserve because of a knee injury, this week. But the choice was made to go with Deiter.
The Dolphins also promoted safety Sheldrick Redwine up from the practice squad, making the former University of Miami standout eligible to play in his second game of the season.
Source: Berkshire mont
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