Heading into his fourth year in the league, Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker has become one of the primary pieces of the puzzle in the passing game. The departure of Pro Bowl wideout Jarvis Landry over the NFL offseason has set up an opportunity in front of him to carve out a larger role.

This appears to be all falling in place as head coach Adam Gase has voiced a tremendous amount of praise toward the 25-year-old's ability on the field that could lead to a breakout year, according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.

“He’s done a great job so far this offseason,” Gase told The Audible, a Miami Dolphins podcast. “He’s really been one of the guys that has tried to do things on his own. He doesn’t need someone to hold his hand and take him here and say eat like this and do this. He’s doing things on his own. And that comes with maturity, too. He was drafted young. And he’s been doing it now. This is his fourth season. Sometimes it takes a second to say OK I know how to do this. And I’ve been doing it. And I don’t need someone to tell me I need to do this. He is doing things on his own. And trying to find ways to get better on the field. I think he has more of a purpose when he comes out on the field.”

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With the strong support of his head coach, it could lead to much greater involvement in the passing game for Parker in the 2018 NFL season. The Dolphins have seen some significant components to the offense move on with both Landry and tight end Julius Thomas no longer a part of the team. The front office did acquire a proven talent in wideout Danny Amendola, but it shouldn't prevent Parker from assuming the leading role as the top receiving threat.

He has proven to be a productive and reliable receiving option over his brief NFL, but injuries have limited his impact on the field despite coming off a 2017 campaign where he made a career-high 57 catches for 670 receiving yards and a touchdown in 13 games played. Parker has shown the ability to be a go-to option in crucial situations while he could become a much greater red zone threat as a top target for quarterback Ryan Tannehill next season.

All of this has the making for the former first-round selection to take the next step to becoming one of the top young talents at his position in the league while putting himself in the position to garner a lucrative long-term in the near future.