A team source told the Miami Herald that while a deal was not yet finalized, the two sides are making progress.
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The Dolphins hope Gase can help Ryan Tannehill take his game to the next level, and jumpstarting Miami’s anemic offense, which finished 26th yards per game, and 27th in points per game in 2015.
At 37, Gase becomes the NFL’s youngest head coach as Miami seeks a turnaround. Former Giants defensive coordinator John Fox, who is well-respected by the Giants organization, has been Gase’s head coach for the past five seasons.
Gase was the Bears’ offensive coordinator last season and was credited with helping Cutler achieve a career-best 92.3 passer rating and cut his interceptions to 11, the best of his career over a full season.
The 41-year-old Patricia is the fifth candidate to meet with the Browns, who initially targeted Gase, Chicago’s coveted offensive coordinator.
The Dolphins interviewed seven candidates, including former National Football League head coaches Mike Shanahan, Mike Smith and Doug Marrone, and completed their search in six days. Gase spent six seasons on the staff in Denver, where he helped Tebow win a playoff game.
Fox Sports reported Dallas Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson will join the Dolphins in the same role under soon-to-be new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the defensive backs coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. With the magic Gase was able to work with Cutler in Chicago, he was too good a prospect to get overlooked again.
The bigger news is that Gase announced that he will continue to call plays during games. “The last three years, being a coordinator both for the Denver Broncos and with the Chicago Bears, it’s an accelerated growth”.
General manager Ryan Pace has said the Bears have penciled Cutler in as their starter for 2016. At the end of the day, Gase is just another OC with limited success that someone is hoping will blossom in the head coaching role.
“I’m very happy for Adam”. He’s extremely bright on all things football, an excellent communicator and always eager to learn more. “He’s ready for this for sure”. Mike Tannenbaum made it clear that while there will be discussions and that Chris Grier would handle getting players to Miami, the final 53 man roster is Gase’s to control.
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Gase began his coaching career with a three-year stint under Nick Saban at LSU.
