Tannehill ready to take off his training wheels and run

MIAMI GARDENS — Early in Saturday’s scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill rolled right and had no hesitation taking off.

Once he saw he had mostly open space ahead, he signaled to tight end MarQueis Gray to break off his route and go block, and Tannehill raced toward the sideline for about 15 yards. Mobility and the threat to get loose for runs exactly like that are crucial for Tannehill, and he is eager to reestablish that as part of his game after missing a year due to knee surgery.

“I just came around the corner and nobody was there,” he said. “I saw the safety coming down and I said, ‘Hey, if we can get that one block, we’ll be able to get even more yards.’ It was a split-second decision. I thought it was a good play.

“I like having that as part of our game. I think it matches up well with our outside zone run plays that are going to be a foundation for our offense. You have to have those counteract the outside zone, which is gonna be big for us.”

Tannehill has not been subjected to live contact since going down in December 2016. When he takes the field for Thursday’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers, it will be the first time he’ll have faced the threat of being hit. He said he’s looking forward to it.

As far as his running ability, he doesn’t enjoy wearing a knee brace, but he’ll be stuck with it likely for the rest of his career.

“It’s a bit cumbersome,” he said. “It doesn’t limit me from doing anything. I ran in the offseason with it and did all the drills with it. You get used to it.”

Tannehill ran for 164 yards (4.2 per carry) under coach Adam Gase in 2016. His best year as a runner was 2014, when he averaged 19.4 per game and 5.6 per attempt.

McMillan glad to contribute: Linebacker Raekwon McMillan walked off the field after Saturday’s scrimmage. That counts as a victory. McMillan, entering his second season, couldn’t help but reflect on the last time he stepped onto the Hard Rock Stadium field. It was his first play in an NFL uniform, on punt coverage. He blew out his right knee, ending his rookie season before it started.

“Last time I was on this field, I could barely walk straight,” McMillan said. “I’m just glad to be out here. I’m glad to be out here with this team and glad to be out and finally contribute.”

McMillan, a second-round pick, is expected to start and call defensive signals alongside Kiko Alonso this season. It’s the same situation he was in last year before everything fell apart.

“A year ago from today, I was named the starter,” McMillan said. “I was doing all this, doing all that. I had a big head but then I was humbled a week later. I’m just fortunate enough to be back in the same position and have a role with this defense.”

McMillan was called for a holding penalty on a pass intended for Albert Wilson during the scrimmage. Although McMillan was reflective after the workout, he said the knee injury wasn’t on his mind when he arrived at Hard Rock.

“I don’t usually think about the injury anymore,” he said. “I just thank God for bringing me back to where I am today.”

Why is Ryan here? Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been with the Dolphins during training camp this week and was in full Miami gear on the sideline during the scrimmage.

His stay in South Florida looks like merely a visit, though. Gase said he’s mostly here as a guest of staff member Joe Vitt, whom he coached with in New Orleans.

“He’s just really kinda taking in some ball,” Gase said of Ryan. “I know he’s moving around the country and dropping in some places where he knows people. When you’re not with a team, you try to go to a couple places and learn. You’re just trying to keep the knowledge expanding and learning different things to when the next one comes around, you’re ready to go and your mind’s still on football.”

Gase indicated there’s been no consideration given to hiring Ryan as part of his staff.