DeVante Parker

Although practices are generally closed to the media, players said DeVante Parker looked good on Monday. And better on Wednesday. And then better again on Thursday.

And now the question is no longer about having Parker available, but expecting him to be a legitimate weapon in Sunday's game. That's because players are saying privately that Parker has improved dramatically over the past week to the point he's often making plays in practice.

That sentiment was echoed, albeit in a much more tepid manner, by head coach Joe Philbin on Thursday.

"He's done a good job," Philbin said. "He's gotten better and better. His volume of practice time and the amount of things he's seen from a coverage standpoint against specific routes is growing every single day. I think there's improvement. We'll see how the end of the week goes, we've got a couple of more practices before we make a final decision on play-time at the end of the week."

There's something of a logjam at receiver in Miami, as Parker has both Greg Jennings and Kenny Stills to deal with. Rishard Matthews has also had a good preseason, so Parker won't be handed starter's snaps. Other than Jarvis Landry, Parker is the best bet for production in the Dolphins' receiving corps.