Dolphins QB Tannehill hurts his left knee during practice
DAVIE, Fla. - Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill reinjured his left knee in practice Thursday when it buckled as he scrambled and fell without being hit.
Tannehill walked slowly off the field accompanied by trainers. He underwent an MRI, but results weren’t definitive regarding the extent of the injury, and further assessment was expected Friday.
“You see your quarterback go down, you think the worst,” tight end Mar-Queis Gray said. “He’s in all of our prayers, and we hope he’s back on the field.”
Tannehill missed last season’s final four games, including a playoff loss at Pittsburgh, after spraining two ligaments in the same knee. He decided against surgery and took part in all offseason drills.
He was wearing a brace when his knee gave out near the right sideline while running full speed to escape tackle Ndamukong Suh. Tannehill stayed on the ground at least 15 seconds surrounded by teammates before rising and leaving the field.
“I saw him buckle and go down. There was no contact on the play,” offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said. “The initial reaction is, ‘OK, next man up.’ That’s football. It’s going to happen somewhere in this season. The game doesn’t stop. You go on to the next play. And then, obviously, my personal thing is, ‘Boy, I sure hope it isn’t serious.’”
The injury occurred during the seventh practice of training camp.
Matt Moore, an 11th-year veteran, went 2-2 as a starter replacing Tannehill last year and remains the backup.
The Dolphins were already without 1,000-yard rusher Jay Ajayi, sidelined since Monday by a concussion.
The Dolphins spent several weeks after last season assessing the extent of Tannehill’s ACL and MCL sprains before ruling out surgery, which could have jeopardized his availability for the start of this season. Tannehill rehabilitated the partially torn ligaments, underwent stem cell treatments and has been saying since May he felt 100 percent. “Dealing with an injury like that for the first time, it was a tough process for me,” Tannehill said last week after the first practice of training camp. “But the building, everyone around me, really supported me throughout that whole process. I’m glad to be back out here and feeling really healthy again.”
If Tannehill’s injury leaves the Dolphins in the market to sign another quarterback for depth, candidates include Colin Kaepernick, who parted ways with the San Francisco 49ers in March and remains unsigned. His decision last season to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality prompted national debate.
Panthers QB Newton doesn’t throw for 3rd straight day: Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was held out of passing drills for the third straight day while battling soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder.
Coach Ron Rivera was vague on if this is part of the team’s plan for Newton or if he’s had a setback.
Rivera said after practice Thursday, “We are going to do what the doctors and trainers tell us.”
Rivera said it’s unclear if the league’s 2015 MVP will participate in Fan Fest in Charlotte stadium on Friday night.
Newton underwent surgery in March to repair a partially torn rotator cuff. He participated in the first five training camp practices at Wofford College, but was held out of the second half of practice Sunday with shoulder soreness. He’s only thrown two warmup passes since then.
Seahawks’ Clark ejected for punching Ifedi, McDowell reports: Seattle Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark was tossed from practice Thursday after punching teammate Germain Ifedi in the face during a heated skirmish between offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell also reported after missing the first three practices of training camp after injuring himself in an ATV accident.
Clark was sent off for the final half hour of practice after his punch dropped Ifedi to the ground. Ifedi also left practice as he was being attended to by trainers after the incident.