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Tannehill’s knee needs no surgery, NFL report says
The ongoing saga with Ryan Tannehill’s injured left knee took a favorable turn Monday.
The Miami Dolphins’ quarterback was re-evaluated by specialist Dr. James Andrews on Monday morning, and an NFL Network report said Tannehill isn’t believed to require a surgical reconstruction of his ACL.
Tannehill sprained the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee Dec. 11 against Arizona.
According to the NFL Network report, the MCL sprain is giving Tannehill some trouble and he might visit Germany for a knee procedure called Regenokine, a form of platelet-rich plasma therapy made famous by former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. The procedure involves taking a patient’s blood, spinning it to separate the platelets, then reinjecting into the knee.
The Dolphins have not commented on the report or the proposed plasma therapy, which is becoming more common with professional athletes.
The follow-up examination, which took place eight weeks after Tannehill injured the knee when hit low by Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell, was expected to provide more clarity.
The Dolphins have always taken a cautious approach with Tannehill’s knee, never ruling out surgery. But the team is hopeful that he’ll be healthy enough to participate in the offseason training activities that begin in April.
“We’re still working through the process,” Dolphins vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum said last week at the Senior Bowl. “As always, with all our players, organizationally, player health and safety is paramount. We’ll do what’s best for the player. ... We’ll keep talking through [it]. When we have more information, we’ll share it.”
If Tannehill, a five-year starter who had a 93.5 passer rating in 2016, eventually undergoes surgery to clean up the MCL, he could spend the following three months rehabilitating.
A reconstructive ACL surgery is more significant and generally requires a rehab of 9-12 months. That would put his playing status for the 2017 season in jeopardy.
If Tannehill isn’t able to start the season, Miami would likely have Matt Moore serve as the starter, and use Brandon Doughty, the team’s 2016 seventhround pick, as his backup.
Veteran quarterback T.J. Yates, who was signed to Miami’s 53-man roster in December after Tannehill suffered his injury, will be an unrestricted free agent.
When doing an interview on NFL Network last week and addressing the talent in the 2017 NFL draft, Tannenbaum said the Dolphins aren’t in the market for a quarterback.
We’ll do what’s best for the player.” Mike Tannenbaum, Dolphins vice president of football operations