The Miami Dolphins have reportedly brought in former Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase to be their new head coach — what’s next on the offseason agenda?
Reports have surfaced that the Miami Dolphins have made the most important move of their offseason in hiring Adam Gase to be their next head coach.
Although some perceive this as another typical Dolphins hire, this is a good move for a team that has had an underachieving offense since Ryan Tannehill came aboard, and could be significantly improved with him at the helm. Gase won’t have to come in to Miami and re-invent the wheel in Miami, he’s just going to be tasked with getting the best out of Ryan Tannehill, which will in turn get the best out of the other offensive players.
Gase has done a great job over the last three years as an offensive coordinator with Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler, and now he’ll have a chance to do it in Miami with a young QB that has seemingly hit a brick wall after looking like one of the most improved players in the league.
The ceiling is high in Miami, but as we also unfortunately saw this past season, it can be really low. Gase needs to surround himself with some really strong veteran coaches so that his job is that much easier going forward.
The Dolphins don’t have a ton of key free agents this season, but two that stick out are running back Lamar Miller and budding star pass rusher Olivier Vernon. It remains to be seen whether or not the Dolphins will be able to re-sign one or either of those players, but those will be some key offseason moves to keep an eye on for this team.
As a whole, the Miami team that Gase is inheriting has some really good looking pieces to it, particularly in the passing game. Ryan Tannehill obviously has the talent to be a top level QB in the NFL, but he won’t get very far without his best weapons. Jarvis Landry is one of the best weapons in the NFL both offensively and on special teams, and the ascending DeVante Parker is another player the Dolphins can build around.
Defensively, Ndamukong Suh was signed last offseason to be the type of franchise player that could turn things around, and I refuse to believe that potential is just gone. He’s had a year to adjust, to see what it’s like to struggle after signing that massive contract, and I think he’ll turn things around. Cameron Wake will return this next year from a horrid injury, a torn Achilles that came just one season before his contract year with the Dolphins.
Will Wake come back, or will the Dolphins cut him to keep room on the cap for Olivier Vernon to come back?
Another question is what happens with the talented but troubled Dion Jordan, a former top pick who has been forgotten due to a one-year suspension in 2015.
Jordan could return in 2016, but who knows what kind of impact he will be on their future decisions? The Dolphins could look to trade him away this offseason or possibly cut ties all together, or will they try and let Jordan be the one to resurrect one of the worst offseasons in franchise history, the debacle that was 2013?
There are so many interesting scenarios surrounding the Miami Dolphins this offseason, but the addition of Adam Gase amplifies all of it. This is a team in transition but also a very talented team with no reasons, at least on paper, that they shouldn’t be competing for at least a Wild Card playoff spot.
Perhaps Gase can turn that around. If he’s going to do it, he’ll have the 8th overall pick and a nice foundation of players with which to work.
And on that 8th overall pick…
CBS Sports has the Dolphins taking defensive linemen Andrew Billings or DeForest Buckner in the first round of their mock drafts, while Walter Football has them taking Myles Jack, the speedy linebacker from UCLA.
Our Erik Lambert projected the Dolphins to trade up to select Joey Bosa in his most recent mock draft.
All of these would be nice options, but I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for the Dolphins right now than Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey, the corner/safety who could be one of the biggest difference makers in this year’s draft class. His presence in the secondary could be huge for the Dolphins, but there is little evidence to suggest he will still be around with the 8th overall selection.
It doesn’t seem the Dolphins will go offense with that top pick, but you never know how enticing adding a player like Ezekiel Elliott to their already talented unit could be.
It’s going to be a really fun offseason in South Beach.