Jay Cutler
Photo: USA Today

Jay Cutler‘s time out of the starting lineup for the Dolphins may be short lived.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Cutler – who suffered several cracked ribs last week against the Jets – is expected to be available for Miami‘s week nine game against the Oakland Raiders.

Cutler was originally taken out in the third quarter of week seven against the Jets and replaced by backup Matt Moore who would go 13-for-21 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Now despite Miami’s 4-2 record with two back-to-back notable wins over the Falcons and Jets Cutler hasn’t really been very good for the Dolphins. So far this season, Pro Football Focus has graded out the Miami QB at a 68.8 good for 30th overall among quarterback’s who’ve seen significant game action throughout the first seven weeks.

Moore will get the start against Baltimore for Thursday Night Football and currently as a 15-14 record as a starter for Miami, which further leads to the question, why even bring on Cutler in the first place? In fact, even though both options for the Dolphins aren’t great Moore is a better take as laid out by the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson.

they average 3.3 points per quarter with Cutler. The results just haven’t been there with Cutler, and there is no reason to think they’ll suddenly appear when he returns from injury with a handful of games left.

In any sense Miami is being given another opportunity to move on from Cutler. And even though they’ll have to deal with the return of Ryan Tannehill next season, they can at least use the rest of this year to further see what they have in Matt Moore.