Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Wait and see on the knee
Left knee stability in question as Tannehill suffers hyperextension
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill stretches before the start of training camp Thursday in Davie. Soon after, he suffered a knee injury that sources said did not damage ligaments. Still, team sources say his status is uncertain. Late last season, Tannehill injured the same knee, which was treated with stem cells.
DAVIE — The Miami Dolphins may have avoided a major scare, as an MRI revealed starting quarterback Ryan Tansprained nehill didn’t suffer ligament damage to his left knee when he went down during Thursday’s practice, according to a league source. But there is still uncertainty about the stability of the knee, Tannehill’s timetable to return and what course of action the team will take as far as treatment.
Tannehill hyperextended the knee during the team’s first 11-on-11 session Thursday, when he scrambled to the right and fell — without contact — after the knee appeared to buckle.
The injury sent fans and members of the Dolphins franchise into a panic. It’s the same knee in which Tannehill two ligaments in December, ending his 2016 season.
The 29-year-old Tannehill
walked off the field on his own power Thursday. A video, shot by WPLG hours after the injury, showed him walking back into the Dolphins’ facility without a noticeable limp following his MRI. In that video he was accompanied by head coach Adam Gase.
Neither Tannehill nor Gase spoke to reporters after Thursday’s practice.
“We’re just praying for him,” Dolphins tight end MarQueis Gray said following the workout. “Anytime you see your quarterback go down, you think the worst.”
While the initial diagnosis is encouraging, the Dolphins and Tannehill aren’t out of the woods yet, as concern has now been raised about the stability of the quarterback’s knee. He opted to not have surgery on it this offseason despite suffering partial tears to the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments last December in a win over the Arizona Cardinals.
It remains to be seen if Tannehill could have swelling that might sideline him for some time, and a specialist might recommend some type of surgery. An arthroscopic surgery could sideline him for at least a month. Reconstructive surgery to a knee ligament generally sidelines an athlete for several months.
Tannehill’s decision on how to treat his knee after the initial injury was one of the biggest topics of conversation this offseason. Tannehill had a stem cell procedure to promote healing, but he was adamant about not undergoing surgery because he wanted to be healthy enough to participate in all of the Dolphins’ offseason work.
The team’s starter the past five seasons, Tannehill has worn a black knee brace during practices and said he would continue to wear it throughout the season. He looked athletic and mobile all spring and summer wearing the brace.
Tannehill completed 261 of 389 passes for 2,995 yards last season, with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, before missing the final three regular-season games and the wildcard playoff game against Pittsburgh. He had a career-best passer rating of 93.5 and a career-best completion percent of 67.1 in his first year under Gase.
Matt Moore, who took over for Tannehill and led the Dolphins to the playoffs last season, replaced him as the first-team quarterback during Thursday’s practice. During Moore’s second 11-on-11 series, he threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills. And during Miami’s hurry-up drills later on in practice, he rifled a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry, ending a productive day for the offense.
“I love Matt Moore,” offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said. “There is a reason we have Matt here. I hope he doesn’t have to play, but if he does, he’ll be ready.”
Moore produced a 105.6 passer rating in the four games he played as Tannehill’s replacement last year. He completed 63.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 721 yards and eight touchdowns.
“He’s a great quarterback,” quarterback coach Bo Hardegree said. “He’s a pro. I think all you guys understand that.”
Brandon Doughty, who played at North Broward Prep and then Western Kentucky, and David Fales, a former San Jose State standout, are competing for a backup role, but neither have excelled in camp working with the thirdteam offense.
If Tannehill’s injury does sideline him for a significant period, the Dolphins could look to add another veteran quarterback.
The top free agent QBs available are Jay Cutler (who has a close relationship with Gase stemming from their time in Chicago in 2015 but has committed to work as an analyst for Fox), former 49ers starter Colin Kaepernick (whose political advocacy has made teams shy away from signing him) and Robert Griffin III (who struggled with injuries for the past few seasons).
Kaepernick’s social stances, which gained attention nationally when he took a knee during the national anthem throughout last season, have made him a controversial figure. But Dolphins owner Steve Ross supported the four Dolphins players who joined Kaepernick in taking a knee during the anthem last season.
“A lot has been written about it, but you know owners, and coaches more specifically — they’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Ross said last week when asked if Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL teams. “If they think he can help him win, I’m sure they would sign him.”