One of the funnier jokes to make the rounds on Twitter this season was how well former Adam Gase players performed after being freed from the shackles of his offense. Players like Ryan Tannehill, DeVante Parker and Kenyan Drake — who were all with Gase in Miami — have enjoyed career years in their first season away from the coach. Meanwhile, Jets players like Le’Veon Bell saw substantial dips in production.
The Jets brought Gase in because of his perceived offensive ingenuity, but so far the team hasn’t seen anything close to that. So while the Jets have seen their offensive numbers dwindle under Gase, his former players have enjoyed previously unseen success.
Here’s how seven former Gase players have fared without him.
QB Ryan Tannehill, Titans
Gase came to Miami because of his perceived ability to elevate a quarterback’s play, but he actually did the opposite with Tannehill in their short time together. Tannehill saw his yards and touchdown totals drop once Gase came to Miami, and he only threw for 4,974 yards and 36 touchdowns in the two seasons Gase coached him.
The Dolphins traded Tannehill and a sixth-round pick to the Titans for a fourth-round pick last offseason. He enjoyed his best season to date despite only starting 12 games.
After he took over for Marcus Mariota in Week 6, Tannehill led the Titans to the AFC Championship with a 9-3 record. Tannehill also set career-highs in touchdowns (22) and completion percentage (70.3) – the later led the NFL. He also led the NFL in passer rating (117.5), yards per pass attempt (9.6) and yards per completion (13.6).
WR DeVante Parker, Dolphins
A first-round selection in 2015, Parker finally lived up to expectations in 2019 while Gase was in New York.
During his three seasons in Gase’s offense, Parker tallied 137 receptions, 1,723 yards and six touchdowns in 39 games. He averaged only 44.2 receiving yards per game and never finished a season with more than 744 receiving yards.
In 2019, though, Parker went off. He set career-highs in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,202) and touchdowns (9) while averaging 75.1 yards per game. Cornerbacks had a hard time defending Parker in this new offense, and the wideout looked like the player the Dolphins thought they drafted with the 14th overall pick five years ago.
RB Kenyan Drake, Cardinals
Drake was the third player in Gase’s first draft class with Miami and the first skill position player taken, but he never rushed for more than 644 yards in any of his three seasons with Gase. Though he split time in the backfield, he tallied 286 rushes for 1,358 yards, nine touchdowns and added six receiving touchdowns.
Like many players on the Dolphins in 2018, Drake played terribly in the first half of the season. But once the Cardinals traded for him in October, Drake played better in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense than he ever did with Gase. He rushed for 643 in only eight games in Arizona and finished with eight rushing touchdowns. He also set a career-high with 817 rushing yards in 10 total starts.
WR Jarvis Landry, Browns
Landry is one of the lone players who hasn’t played much better outside of Gase’s offense. In two seasons with Gase from 2016-2017, Landry caught 206 balls for 2,123 yards and 13 touchdowns and he led the NFL with 112 receptions in 2017. This makes sense considering how Gase loves the slot receiver position, but Landry fell out of favor with his coach, who eventually shipped him to the Browns in 2018.
Landry has enjoyed marginal success in Cleveland. He doesn’t see the target share he once enjoyed in Miami, but he’s caught at least 81 balls in 2018 and 2019 and combined for 2,150 yards and 10 touchdowns.
TE Mike Gesicki, Dolphins
The Dolphins took Gesicki in the second round of the 2018 draft (42nd overall) but he rarely saw the ball during his rookie season., He only caught 22 passes in Gase’s offense for 202 yards and no touchdowns.
Gesicki broke out in 2019, though, and more than doubled his receptions (51), yards (570) and caught five touchdowns in the last five games of the season. He emerged as a great safety valve for Ryan Fitzpatrick and a good receiving complement to DeVante Parker.
WR Kenny Stills, Texans
Stills had an up-and-down career in Miami with Gase at the helm. Stills had two very good seasons with the Dolphins during Gase’s first two years as head coach, catching 100 balls for 1,573 yards and 15 touchdowns. Stills didn’t have a good 2018 season, though, and he only made 37 receptions for 553 yards and six touchdowns.
The Dolphins traded Stills to the Texans this season, but the wideout didn’t make too big of an impact in Houston. He saw a slight increase in production from his 2018 season with 40 receptions for 561 yards but only four touchdowns.
RB Damien Williams, Chiefs
Williams was a backup running back for the Dolphins during his time in Miami and only saw 81 rushing attempts between 2016-2017. Sitting behind Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake, Williams tallied 296 rushing yards in his limited role with three touchdowns. He did carve out a nice receiving role, though, with 43 receptions for 404 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
The Chiefs signed Williams in 2018 to backup Kareem Hunt, but after the team cut Hunt following a disturbing assault video, Williams became the feature back. He rushed 34 times for 203 yards and three touchdowns as the starter in the final three games of the regular season before going for 129 yards and one touchdown on 25 touches in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. Williams opened the 2019 season as the Chiefs’ starter but battled injuries all season. He still finished with career highs in attempts (111), yards (498) and touchdowns (five).
