Tannehill practices, may be available if team advances.

DAVIE — Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill returned to practice on a limited basis Friday, indicating he might be available next week if the team advances to the divisional round of the playoffs.

It was the first time Tannehill practiced since spraining the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee Dec. 11.

On Thursday, Tannehill was ruled out of Sunday’s wild-card playoff game in Pittsburgh. That status has not changed.

Backup quarterback Matt Moore will make his first playoff start against the Steelers. If the Dolphins win, they’ll play at New England on Jan. 14.

Speaking after practice, Tannehill did not rule out a return next week.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m doing everything I can to get out there as soon as possible, as soon as they clear me to go. But right now, it’s tough to say. Just doing everything we can to make it happen as soon as possible.”

During the portion of practice open to the media, Tannehill was not in uniform, but he was throwing passes to receivers Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry. He wore a black t-shirt, a hat, and a brace on his left knee.

Tannehill was the last player off the field at the end of practice, at that point wearing his customary No. 17 and carrying his helmet while he walked alongside Dolphins coach Adam Gase. Tannehill said his participation was “nothing crazy” as he completed a few reps with the scout team.

“It’s exciting to be back out there,” Tannehill said. “I’ve put in a lot of work to try to get myself ready to go. I’ve taken the first step, and getting back out there is huge.”

Gase said the team would follow up with Tannehill both on Friday afternoon and Saturday to get feedback on how his knee feels.

“Did anything feel awkward?. Do we have any kind of issues the next day? That’s why we did it today to try to see,” Gase said. “We got the next couple of days to see what happened post-practice.”

Tannehill’s injury has not required surgery so far, but Tannehill said Friday that he did not know if surgery would come in the future, simply saying “We’re still working through that.”

Tannehill said he and team doctors have worked together to test his knee’s structural strength to assess whether playing with the injury could cause further damage to his ACL and MCL.

“If there’s a huge risk of doing further damage, then Adam’s made it clear that he’s not going to let me go back out there,” Tannehill said. “That’s what we’re working through right now, working with the doctors, communicating how I feel. Doing the tests on it to see what they feel and just kind of marrying those up and seeing where we go from there.”

Tannehill — who had not missed a start since entering the league as a first-round draft pick in 2012 — said his mobility was limited, but improving.

“It’s getting better every day,” Tannehill said. “That’s what we’re working for is to be able to move, protect myself, move in the pocket, evade the rush and things like that. That’s what we’re working through: range of motion, strength and everything to make that possible.”

Tannehill missed the past three games, as Moore completed 52 of 82 passes for 674 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I felt good,” Tannehill said. “Obviously, it’s been a while, so a little different. But it’s just good to be back out there and competing with the guys.”