Adam Gase one step closer to getting his offensive coordinator back

MOBILE, Ala. — Adam Gase looks as if he will finally get his man.

The Jets coach has wanted to bring Dowell Loggains with him from his Dolphins staff to be the new Jets offensive coordinator, but had been blocked by Miami. That is about to change. NFL Network reported Tuesday the Dolphins will not stop Loggains from interviewing for other jobs. A source said the Jets have put in a formal request to interview Loggains. That seems like a formality, though, and Loggains should be reunited with Gase soon.

The 38-year-old Loggains spent one year as Dolphins offensive coordinator under Gase. It will be Gase, not Loggains, calling the offensive plays for the Jets, but Loggains will have a critical role in the development of quarterback Sam Darnold.

Gase said last week he does not expect to hire a quarterbacks coach, so it will be Gase and Loggains working with the second-year quarterback every day.

Loggains served as Bears offensive coordinator in 2016-17 before joining Gase in Miami. He and Gase first worked together in 2015 in Chicago when Gase was the offensive coordinator and Loggains coached the quarterbacks.

Loggains served as the offensive coordinator of the Titans in 2012-13. He also has been the quarterbacks coach for the Titans (2010-11), Browns (2014) and Bears (2015). In Cleveland, he was known for being an advocate of drafting Johnny Manziel.

The Dolphins are expected to hire Patriots assistant coach Brian Flores as their new head coach, but can’t do that officially until after the Super Bowl. The delay in being able to hire Flores led to a delay in Gase being able to hire members of his Miami staff that were still under contract. Now, it appears the Dolphins are comfortable letting Loggains walk, though. Miami interviewed Loggains for its head-coaching opening earlier this month.

As for the rest of his coaching staff, Gase is working on finalizing that this week. A source said he will retain defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, who spent two years on Todd Bowles’ staff with the Jets. Wilson drew interest from other teams, but the Jets wanted to keep him.

Gase hired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams last week and retained special teams coordinator Brant Boyer.

Gase did not travel to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, choosing instead to work on his coaching staff in New Jersey. General manager Mike Maccagnan and the personnel staff are here evaluating draft prospects.

Louisiana Tech DE Jaylon Ferguson, one of the top pass rushers at the Senior Bowl, said he was scheduled to meet with the Jets on Tuesday night.