After incessant speculation, the Miami Dolphins have tabbed Jay Cutler as their potential 2017 starter, coaxing him away from a broadcasting role.
Miami Dolphins former first-round quarterback Ryan Tannehill has looked like a franchise quarterback for most of his career, but there’s always been a sense that the team isn’t completely sold on him. Tannehill may have suffered a season-ending knee injury at practice this past week, and it left the Dolphins scrambling to find a potential replacement.
Early on, the Dolphins zeroed in on Jay Cutler, who previously worked with head coach Adam Gase while with the Chicago Bears.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and others, the Dolphins have pounced on their top target, signing Cutler to a one-year deal worth $10 million that includes incentives.
Miami's one-year deal with QB Jay Cutler is worth $10 million, plus incentives, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2017
It’s a reasonable deal for a mercurial, injury-prone quarterback who has the talent to potentially lead the Dolphins to a playoff bid in 2017. Cutler worked with Gase in the coach’s lone season as the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator in 2015. Gase’s work with Cutler enabled him to land the Dolphins head coaching gig, as Cutler completed a career-best 64.4 percent of his passes that year. Cutler continued to challenge defenses with 7.6 yards per attempt, but Gase allowed the veteran quarterback to significantly cut down on his interceptions.
Cutler and Gase looks like a great match on paper, and if Tannehill’s injury is a season-ender, the Phins should be in capable hands. If Cutler goes down with yet another injury, then Miami has one of the best backups in the business in Matt Moore to take the reigns.
It will be exciting to see how Cutler works with a host of talented receivers, and fans will be especially intrigued to watch the connection between Cutler and Kenny Stills, who is the most dynamic weapon on Miami’s roster. Beyond Stills, the Dolphins have Jarvis Landry to give Cutler one of the NFL’s safest targets, as well as likely breakout candidate DeVante Parker, who has a chance to become one of the very best in contested situations.
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Regardless of Tannehill’s long-term outlook, Cutler is the starter for now, and we’ll see just how long that lasts. Based on the fact that Cutler has been signed to start and is willing to come out of retirement, it looks like we should not expect to see Tannehill on the field at any point in the 2017 season.