Parker (concussion) isn't participating in Wednesday's practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Parker's absence for the Patriots' first Week 9 practice comes as little surprise after he entered the concussion protocol upon taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Miami's DeShon Elliott in this past Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Dolphins. Given that Parker previously missed game action during the 2019 and 2022 seasons due to concussions, he may face an uphill battle to clear the five-step protocol ahead of this weekend's game against the Commanders. If Parker ends up sitting out Week 9, the Patriots would likely turn to Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor as their top three receivers, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.