The Miami Dolphins will allow newly-acquired quarterback Jay Cutler to make his debut in Thursday's preseason matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Jay was signed by the team last week after starting QB Ryan Tannehill went down due to a partially torn ACL. In his absence, Miami still managed to win their preseason debut against the Atlanta Falcons last week by a score of 23-20. However, Cutler did not suit up for that game because the team had just signed him, and he didn't have enough practice with the offense at that point.

Now, the Dolphins are expecting Jay to showcase what he's got left in his 34-year-old throwing arm.

The matchup with the Ravens will be interesting, considering both teams were on the hunt for a QB to replace their injured starters just last week. Both teams were rumored to have had an interest in Colin Kaepernick. However, both decided that the publicity that came along with it was not something their organizations wanted to deal with at the time.

What 'Kap' would have brought to the table for the Dolphins

Although Cutler is not a bad replacement for Tannehill, many people believe the Dolphins should have gone with Kaepernick instead. The Dolphins are coming off a season where they were able to make it to the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Tannehill could not play in their only playoff game with a loss to the Steelers due to his ACL injury that will cause him to miss the entire 2017 season. With the playoff experience and skills of Kaepernick, he seemed to be a better choice for a team that is already a legit contender.

Jay's success with head coach Adam Gase

One of the toughest things that Jay Cutler has been criticized for his entire career is his inability to make a team a legit contender.

He's also known for making some of the riskiest throws you'll ever see a QB attempt to make. A lot of times those throws lead to costly interceptions. It is safe to say that Jay has never played for a team as talented as the Dolphins team he was recently brought out of retirement for. Sure there was the one season with the Bears where he led them to the NFC championship, but besides that are a bunch of seasons of disappointment.

Despite all those factors going against him, Cutler is known for having one of the sharpest arms the league has ever seen when he is in the zone. The last time the league saw Jay healthy was during the 2015 season. That year was arguably the best of his career statistically.

Under former Bears offensive coordinator and the current Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, Cutler managed to complete 64.6 percent of his passes and throw for 3,659 yards. His touchdown to interception ratio was better than usual with 21 TDs and just 11 INTs.

Under Gase, he posted the best passer rating of his career with a 92.3 during the 2015 season. If the two can pick up where they left off in Chicago with a more talented roster, the Dolphins may be better off without Tannehill.

What to expect in first preseason game?

Fans shouldn't expect Miami to play Cutler for too many series in his first outing.

However, expect Gase to keep him out on the field long enough to allow him to get back into game shape. Jay showed up to camp in good shape and should be able to run two or three series on Thursday. The game will be the Dolphins' last home game of the preseason. The last two games will be on the road against Philly and Minnesota.
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