Dolphins making progress toward deal with Gase

Reported by Ian Rapoport (LINK) and Adam Schefter (LINK), Gase has been signed to a five-year contract, and will be officially introduced by the team at 3pm ET on Saturday afternoon.

Gase was the NFL’s hottest coaching candidate among assistants, and at 37, he becomes the league’s young coach.

Gase followed head coach John Fox to Chicago from Denver, where he served under Fox as wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and most recently, offensive coordinator.

Recent Bengals’ defensive staff members have had a lot of success in recent seasons; Mike Zimmer went from defensive coordinator to Vikings head coach, helping that team to a division title.

Gase interviewed with the Eagles on Tuesday. The Bears will bring in a offensive coordinator that falls in line with their system. “Last year I talked to a couple teams on the behalf of him that reached out to me”. Having both Tannehill and Suh on the same page with their next head coach certainly helps the Dolphins reel in an offensive coach of Gase’s caliber. This meshes with the report from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that “all signs point” to Gase getting the job.

In 2013, quarterback Peyton Manning was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the fifth time in his career by the Associated Press, while breaking National Football League single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55).

The Dolphins interviewed seven candidates this week, including former interim head coach Dan Campbell and former longtime head coaches Mike Shanahan and Mike Smith.

The Eagles have also interviewed their own offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur, who coached the final game after Chip Kelly was sacked; and running backs coach Duce Staley.

Tannehill is a quarterback with a powerful throwing arm, good accuracy, and a high IQ for the game, but his stats and numbers are very under-appreciated because they didn’t translate into many wins for the team.

The Chicago offensive coordinator was the first candidate in a crowded field to be invited for a second interview with the Dolphins, a personal familiar with the situation said.

In his first season under Gase, Cutler posted a career-best 92.3 quarterback rating and a career-best 11 interceptions for a full season, plus approached career numbers with 3,659 yards and a 64.4 completion percentage.