The truth of the Ryan Tannehill situation: The Miami Dolphins don't yet know what course of action to take with the quarterback's knee.
Adam Gase said Friday after practice there is no decision on whether Tannehill, who left practice on Thursday after hurting his left knee, needs surgery or merely rest. Both options are on the table, according to Gase.
"[We're] talking to a lot of people, just making sure we're getting all the right information, and then we'll make a decision after that," Gase said. "Everything is on the table right now. We're going to talk to a lot of people."
Gase's comment meshes with what NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said Friday on *Inside Training Camp Live. *Rapoport reported the Dolphins are still considering every avenue of treatment before deciding how to best proceed. Regardless, it appears Tannehill will miss some time due to the injury.
"First of all, the Dolphins do not know what they're going to do," Rapoport said. "That is just the honest truth right now. They don't know which way it's going to go. All options are now on the table and those options include having Ryan Tannehill rest, as he is doing now. They do expect him to be out of practice for the foreseeable future as they try to focus on his health, getting better and when he is actually going to be on the field. An extended absence is expected.
"There is a possibility that after Ryan Tannehill seeks a second opinion, maybe a third opinion, that he will decide to just rehab his knee, strength it, hopefully tighten it up a little bit and then maybe be on the field somewhere close to the start of the season. That is a possibility. There is also the possibility of full reconstructive surgery on the ACL, which they elected not to do last year. They did stem cell treatment. They believed his knee was fine and healthy and able to get through the 2017 season. It's also worth noting by the way: We don't actually know if last year's injury is related to this year's injury. ACL injuries happen anyway. The Dolphins are trying to figure all this stuff out now and until they know, then we won't know."
Tannehill suffered a partial tear in his ACL last season, causing him to miss the final three games of 2016 regular season and the Dolphins' wild-card loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Dolphins opted for the quarterback not to undergo surgery after the injury. It's a decision the Dolphins could be regretting now.
Video of the play from Thursday's practice showed Tannehill's left leg appearing to plant awkwardly in the turf causing the quarterback to tumble to the ground. He remained down for a short time before walking gingerly to the locker room, according to reporters on the scene.
With Tannehill set to miss at least preseason games, the question is whether Miami will add another quarterback to the mix. Gase said Friday that Matt Moore is the starter for now, and wouldn't expound further.
"Right now Matt is our quarterback. We'll see where we go from there because I've got to figure what's going on with Ryan and then we'll make decisions after that," Gase said.
For his part, Moore doesn't relish getting a starting gig through injury.
"As a buddy, as a teammate, you never want to see that happen," Moore said, via NFL Network's Tiffany Blackmon. "This is part of my role and I've done this before. Stepping up, being ready if need be. So that's as much as I know and kind of the attitude I have moving forward."
Moore is a competent backup whom Gase has consistently praised this offseason. The question is whether the Dolphins trust them to keep their playoff hopes afloat if Tannehill misses an extended amount of time. Miami could bring in a veteran to either backup or challenge Moore for snaps. Colin Kaepernick, recently retired Jay Cutler, or Brock Osweiler are names who have been floated early in the process.
First, Miami needs to decide what course of action to take with Tannehill.
