With the Tools in Place, It's Put-Up-or-Shut-Up Time for Ryan Tannehill in 2016

Last year, at just about this time, a lot of good things were being said about the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

The Dolphins had recently embarked on a big spending spree, adding veterans on both sides of the ball. Tannehill had signed a six-year, $96 million contract extension. It was time for the Dolphins and their young quarterback to "take the next step" and contend for a playoff spot.

One year later, the Dolphins are reassessing after a last-place finish in the AFC East. They've moved from Joe Philbin to Dan Campbell to Adam Gase at head coach. And Tannehill is trying to get back on track after regressing in 2015.

Heading into his fifth NFL season, it's put-up-or-shut-up time for Tannehill.

Granted, Tannehill wasn't horrible in 2015. His 4,208 passing yards were a career high, as were his 7.2 yards per attempt. Tannehill threw twice as many touchdowns as interceptions, and while his passer rating dipped relative to 2014, it was still almost 90.

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However, it also marked the first year Tannehill didn't exhibit clear improvement. The fumbles that have been a career-long issue (38 in four seasons) increased. After grading out 15th at his position two years ago, according to Pro Football Focus, Tannehill fell 10 spots in 2015.

It might not have been a huge step backward—but it was most assuredly a step backward. And considering this was the first year under that big contract, it didn't look good.

It isn't fair to blame all the Dolphins' struggles in 2015 on their quarterback. Or even most of them. But as Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated pointed out using OvertheCap.com's figures, in 2017 it isn't prohibitively expensive for the Dolphins to move on. This is it: Tannehill's chance to show his new head coach that he is a $100 million man and a franchise quarterback.

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As coaches go, it would appear Tannehill caught a break. After cycling through three different offensive coordinators in his first four seasons, Tannehill drew Gase, a coach hired expressly due to the success he's had with quarterbacks.

Whether it was Tim Tebow in Denver or Jay Cutler in Chicago, Gase has been able to make the most of the situation under center in recent years.

Gase told Burke the plan is the same as it was when he joined John Fox in Chicago last year: figure out what Tannehill and the Miami offense does well and then get better at it.

"We do have a different group than what we had in Chicago as far as the skill set, where are our strengths are," Gase said. "We’re going to have to figure out what we do best, and that’s what we're going to hang our hat on."

While speaking with Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, Gase also pointed out that he's confident Tannehill is more than capable of running his offense:

"

He's smart, he's athletic and he has the ability to make all the throws. It's not as if he's been unproductive. Look at his numbers. They are good numbers. Now it's just a matter of translating those numbers into wins for this team. The way he's set up mechanically is good. I don't want to mess with that.

"

That's a two-way street, of course. Every quarterback needs targets. From all appearances, Tannehill has some good ones in South Beach.

After years of swinging and missing on free-agent receivers like Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace, the Dolphins have had better success in recent years by upgrading their pass-catchers in the draft.

After catching 110 passes for over 1,100 yards last year, Jarvis Landry is already one of the best slot receivers in football. And Gase told Charles Trainor of the Miami Herald he thinks Landry's best is still to come.

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“He's done a good job,” Gase said. “With him, he's really a leader by example for the most part. Everything he does, you can tell how much he cares about what his job is. If he can help another guy, and usually some of the young guys, he'll lend a hand.”

If the Dolphins can get a similar second-year leap from 2015 first-round pick DeVante Parker, then Tannehill could have one of the league's best young one-two punches in the NFL. An injured foot slowed Parker's rookie year, but his talent began to shine as the season wore on.

That strong finish has made Parker a trendy breakout pick among many scribes, including ESPN.com Dolphins writer James Walker (h/t ABCNews.com):

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In watching organized team activities, I remember thinking to myself, "Parker looks like a No. 1 receiver for the first time." Parker is playing faster, he's about a year removed from last summer's foot surgery, and you can sense his increased confidence after a strong finish to the 2015 season. Parker was Miami's top deep threat in the final six games of last season, recording 22 receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns in that span. Parker should pick up where he left off to start this season. Barring injury, Parker is primed to post his first 1,000-yard receiving season.

"

Miami did lose the surprisingly effective Rishard Matthews to Tennessee in free agency, but it replaced him with rookie Leonte Carroo, a lanky youngster who's less proven but has more upside.

They may not be the Arizona Cardinals, but as a group, the Dolphins receivers aren't the Cleveland Browns either. And that's without even mentioning the athletic but oft-injured Jordan Cameron at tight end.

The run game is much less certain. After watching Lamar Miller take the money and run to Houston, lead back duties in 2016 will fall to second-year pro Jay Ajayi, who free-fell in the 2015 draft due to concerns about the long-term viability of his knee.

For his part, Ajayi insisted to the NFL Network (via Tyler Dragon of NFL.com) that not only is he ready to carry the load, but both he and his quarterback are also prepared to step up their respective games in 2016:

"

Definitely just seeing a lot more growth just through this year, you know last year for me I was a rookie so I was still trying to just figure everything out, now just being in the mix, being out there with him in the huddle and everything, it's been really great. Seeing how he's been able to work with coach (Adam) Gase and seeing what he's been doing on the line of scrimmage, just being able to make those different calls and things like that, it's been really cool to see and I'm excited to see him blossom and really dominate this year.

"

If there's a weak link to this chain, a fly in the ointment, a factor that could hold both Ajayi and Tannehill back in 2016, it's the Miami offensive line. The addition of Laremy Tunsil will help, but this is a line that ranked 27th in pass protection and dead last in run-blocking last year, according to Pro Football Focus.

But no situation is perfect. Gase managed to coax a good season from Jay Cutler last year despite the fact that the Bears ranked in the bottom half of the NFL at keeping him upright. The coach will scheme ways to buy Tannehill time. Get him throwing lanes and open targets.

The thing is, offensive maestro though he may be, there's only so much Gase can do. Or Landry, or Ajayi, or any of the other skill players. They have one job: get in a position for Tannehill to deliver them the football.

The rest falls to the quarterback. Identify the defense and coverage, make the right read and deliver an accurate throw. It's a job that can be made easier to an extent, and in just about as many regards as they can be reasonably expected to, the Dolphins have done so for Tannehill—whether it's coaching or receivers.

He's been put in position to succeed. Now comes the hard part, the time for Tannehill to do his bit. To take the step forward everyone expected a year ago.

If he doesn't, there could be some very expensive consequences. And he'll have no one to blame but himself.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.