Adam Gase: Jay Cutler 'good' during first Dolphins practice

— -- DAVIE, Fla. -- Quarterback Jay Cutler looked the "same" during his first day of practice with the Miami Dolphins, coach Adam Gase said Tuesday.

"He said he felt good," Gase said. "He is not going to sugarcoat anything with me. It was good that he felt right back in it."

Cutler, who ended last season with the Chicago Bears on injured reserve and had labrum surgery in December, was a full participant during practice Tuesday but took limited snaps.

"My arm's fine," Cutler said. "It doesn't get sore. First of all, we just have to get all the strength and stuff back in it."

Cutler, 34, agreed to delay the start of his broadcast career to sign a one-year, $10 million contract with Miami. He's expected to start in place of Ryan Tannehill, who is out with a knee injury?that is likely to sideline him for the entire season.

"[He] remembers basically everything with the offense," said Gase, who was Cutler's offensive coordinator with the Bears in 2015. "Basically for him, it's just kind of getting that feel with the [pass] rush. It's one thing to throw routes on air and one-on-ones, but to get in there and be able to take some reps with the line in there and to be able to see everything develop and our players' body language and how they run routes, that's the biggest difference for him."

Cutler had one of his best seasons in 2015, when he achieved a career-high passer rating (92.3) while ranking 10th in Total QBR (65.9).

Whereas Gase expressed no concern over Cutler's arm strength, his quarterback said it'll take a little more time to get it back.

"It's good," Cutler said. "I think a couple more days out here, I'll be back and be 100 [percent]. The offense is gonna come. I think it's just sitting in the pocket, getting my feet underneath me, just the timing of the game, the rhythm. That kind of stuff is gonna take a little bit of time, but hopefully it comes back pretty quickly.

"...?I told Adam thanks for bringing me in. It's fun to be back out."

Cutler also threw passes to running back Jay Ajayi, who participated in the noncontact portion of practice but continues to be in the concussion protocol after being shut down for a week.

Ajayi wore full pads and a helmet Tuesday, but Gase said he was leaning toward not playing him in the team's preseason opener against the Falcons on Thursday. Cutler also? will not play.