The Dolphins made the signing of Jay Cutler official on Monday, but they haven't made his position on the depth chart official. But if you're banking on Matt Moore winning the job over Cutler, you're going to be disappointed.
On Monday, coach Adam Gase didn't officially name Cutler his starting quarterback, but what he said certainly makes it sound like the Dolphins' starting quarterback job belongs to Cutler.
"You'll know when I release the depth chart," Gase said, via NFL.com. "I don't have to make that announcement right now but (Cutler) didn't come out of retirement to stand on the sidelines. But we got a ways to go. Get him in here, give him a physical, see where he's at."
They pretty much accomplished all of that on Monday. First, Cutler landed in Miami early Monday morning:
SLATER SCOOP: Jay Cutler just arrived in Miami. #dolphinspic.twitter.com/opSxnHeAoH
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) August 7, 2017
Then, he held his first press conference:
Get your 2017 Dolphins multi-game ticket packages! pic.twitter.com/oJbOkx51Op
— Damon Amendolara (@DAonCBS) August 7, 2017
And then the Dolphins made the signing official, which means he passed his physical:
We have signed quarterback Jay Cutler. pic.twitter.com/6nzLzJus22
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 7, 2017
Now, the Dolphins need to ease him into action. Remember, Cutler tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder and said he was only cleared in March. Furthermore, because he retired briefly, he hasn't been throwing the ball like he used to. He's also probably not in football shape, as he indicated during his press conference.
"The good thing is I play quarterback, so I don't have to be in that great of cardiovascular shape," -- Jay Cutler.
— Conor Orr (@ConorOrr) August 7, 2017
Cutler will eventually get into shape, but it will take some time. So the Dolphins should be patient. By the sound of it, Gase will be.
Adam Gase said in press conference the #Dolphins have a plan in place to get Cutler ready after 4-month retirement. Just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/aZR3zR2ecG
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 7, 2017
So, don't expect Cutler to play in Thursday's preseason game. But eventually, once he's fully operational, expect him to surpass Moore on the depth chart, even if Moore has earned the reputation of one of the better backups in the league. There's a reason why Moore has started just 28 games in his nine-year career, with three of those starts coming in the past five years. He's a quality backup and Cutler is a quality starter. In 2015, when Cutler was paired with Gase in Chicago on an awful Bears offense, Cutler posted a career-high 92.3 passer rating and limited his turnovers (11 interceptions).
The Dolphins aren't paying Cutler $10 million (plus incentives) to sit on the bench. Like it or not, this is Cutler's team now. Moore's time as the team's starting quarterback will be over as soon as Cutler is up to speed and in cardiovascular shape.