NFL power rankings: Head coaches from 32-1

No. 12: Adam Gase, Miami Dolphins

In Gase’s first season as head coach, the Dolphins turned around a slow start, went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Having to start backup quarterback Matt Moore was ultimately the downfall in a Wild Card Round loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers though, as Ryan Tannehill was out with a knee injury.

Speaking of Tannehill and his left knee injury, a decision not to have surgery has come back to bite the Dolphins. Tannehill was injured in training camp practice a couple of weeks ago, and Miami has now signed Jay Cutler to fill the void. Cutler had one of his best seasons in 2015, when Gase was the Bears’ offensive coordinator, with a career-best 92.3 passer rating and 11 interceptions in 483 pass attempts. So expectations remain somewhat high, even if the Dolphins are no real threat to the Patriots in the AFC East.

Gase has had a lot of success working with different styles of quarterback, from Tim Tebow, to Peyton Manning, to Cutler, to Tannehill to Moore in a short sample late last year. Reuniting with Cutler in the middle of camp is not an ideal situation, but there’s time for “Smokin’ Jay” to catch up.

Gase is on the rise as a head coach, and the Dolphins are finally an interesting team to keep an eye on.