Gase needs games to decide backup QB
DAVIE — Dolphins coach Adam Gase has ample history with quarterbacks Brock Osweiler and David Fales, dating back to his time as an assistant for the Broncos and Bears, but he’s still taking a long look at them this summer as he tries to settle on a backup to Ryan Tannehill.
It’ll likely take at least the first two preseason games before Gase establishes a depth chart at the position. He said in offseason practices that he’s committed to going with one of those two options rather than calling a veteran, like he did with Jay Cutler last year, and it’s possible he’ll keep three quarterbacks on the active roster this season because of Tannehill’s injury history.
Fales and Osweiler are rotating with second- and third-string personnel during 11-on-11 drills in camp, with Fales looking better the first day and Osweiler outdoing him on Day 2.
“I think it’ll probably be a little bit of a feel,” Gase said. “As we go through the training camp practices and then when we get into the preseason, it’ll be interesting to see if somebody separates one from the other. That’s why we’re trying to give both of them equal amount of reps with different groups so we can get a clean evaluation.
“It’s going to be one of those things where, ‘Does it feel like this guy is really
accelerated? Are good things happening when one is in and it’s OK with the other?’ Sometimes that stuff kind of cleans up for you, especially when you get into the preseason games.”
The Dolphins have a week and a half of practice left before hosting Tampa Bay for an exhibition game Aug. 9. From there, they play at Carolina, home against Bal- timore and at Atlanta.
Fales has the longest and most recent tenure with Gase, having been on the Dolphins almost continuously since January 2017. He spent the second half of last season as their second- or third-string quarterback and his start with Gase in Den- played the majority of the ver. The Broncos drafted season finale against Buffalo. him in the second round
Prior to signing with in 2012, and he had Gase Miami, he was a backup for as his quarterbacks coach the Bears when Gase was that year followed by two their offensive coordinator seasons with him as Denin 2015. ver’s offensive coordinator.
Osweiler, meanwhile, got Years of working with each of them firsthand, as well as plenty of film on Osweiler from the last few seasons, would seem to be sufficient for Gase to make his decision. But he said he needs to see them in game situations next month to know for sure.
“When you get into games — practice is different,” he said. “Sometimes when you’re doing a third-down period and the defe nse knows you are (passing), compared to the flow of a game when you’re in first and second down and then a third down shows up every once in a while ... It’s a completely different feel in a game compared to practice.”