The Miami Dolphins have hired Adam Gase to take over as head coach heading into 2016 after firing Joe Philbin last season. The team will announce the news and it comes as many personnel decisions will have to be made, including whether Cameron Wake, Lamar Miller, Jordan Cameron, Greg Jennings and Olivier Vernon will return.
According to the Miami Herald, the agreement with Gase is a "done deal" and the team will make an official announcement on Saturday. Gase spent this season as the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator after serving the same position with the Denver Broncos for two years. Gase helped the Broncos have one of the best offenses in the league during that time and he also helped the Bears offense improve under Jay Cutler this season.
Gase was considered to be one of the top candidates for head coaching jobs this year and he previously interviewed with the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. Gase now takes over a Miami Dolphins team that was a disappointment this season after the franchise spent money on free agents like Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Cameron.
The Dolphins fired Joe Philbin during the season and had Dan Campbell take over as interim coach and now Gase will be the new head coach. According to James Walker at ESPN, this is the fourth time in a row that the Dolphins have hired a head coach without any previous head coaching experience. The Dolphins are hoping that Gase can help develop Ryan Tannehill, who had an inconsistent season after signing a contract extension last year.
The Dolphins roster could undergo some changes next season, as players like Lamar Miller, Rishard Matthews and Olivier Vernon are free agents. The team likely try and retain some or all of those players, but there will be tough decisions to make. The team has over $150 million committed to next season and and there is a chance some players could be cut to get that number down.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Omar Kelly writes that players like Cameron Wake, Jordan Cameron, Greg Jennings, could be on the chopping block. Wake is one of the top defensive players on the team, but Wake is coming back after an Achilles injury and is on the wrong side of 30. Cameron is signed for over $7 million in 2016 and while he had a solid season last year, it was not as productive as the team expected. Jennings caught just 19 passes for the Dolphins and he may not be back if DeVante Parker proves he is healthy after having foot surgery last year.
