Ryan Tannehill injury update: ACL reconstruction not expected

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is expected to avoid surgery on his torn ACL.

The Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes took a substantial hit thie season when quarterback Ryan Tannehill went down with a torn left ACL in Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals. But backup Matt Moore kept things afloat, leading a late drive to win that game against Arizona and then winning his first two starts in Tannehill’s place.

There was a chance Tannehill would play in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he was eventually ruled out. The decision on whether Tannehill would undergo surgery for the injury was delayed longer than seemed logical, especially with the prospect of a nine-month recovery if he did go under the knife. But the results of a Monday MRI provided good news, as it looks like Tannehill won’t need surgery after all.

Tannehill is sure to miss all or most of Dolphins’ OTAs this spring, but he should be ready in plenty of time for training camp. That’s obviously great news, as long as Tannehill avoids any setbacks that could put his status for Week 1 in doubt. Rapoport added that Tannehill may go to Germany to undergo the platelet-rich plasma therapy — a procedure made famous by Kobe Bryant — to speed up recovery time.

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The best case scenario for Tannehill was a partially torn ACL and sprained MCL — that would have given him a chance to play again in 2017. That didn’t quite pan out, but it looks like the Miami QB has at least avoided the worst case scenario. As the Dolphins look to build on this year’s return to the playoffs, Tannehill’s health stands to be the team’s top offseason storyline.