Ryan Tannehill

AFC Notes: Garrett, Bengals, Dolphins, Revis

Browns top overall pick Myles Garrett suffered a left lateral foot sprain during last month’s mandatory minicamp. While there were some questions whether the defensive end would be ready for training camp, a recent tweet by the player should hush any pessimism.

As Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot writes, Garrett posted a video on Twitter earlier this week showing him leg pressing hundreds of pounds. The video was in response to a fan asking for an update on his foot injury, with the rookie responding “Ya know ….it’s doing alright.”

As Cabot notes, the team will presumably bring Garrett along slowly during the first few days of training camp, especially when you consider that the player suffered through a high left ankle sprain for much of his final season at Texas A&M. Roster Resource currently has Garrett slotted in as a starting defensive lineman beside Danny SheltonEmmanuel Ogbah, and fellow rookie Larry Ogunjobi.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…

  • Several ESPN writers weighed in on whether 2017 could be the final season for coach Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati. Jeremy Fowler believes he’ll be back with the Bengals if the team finishes with a winning record, while Jamison Hensley notes that the team has shown consistent regular season success under his leadership. On the flip side, Pat McManamon acknowledges that there’s been a “fair amount of chatter” that Lewis could ultimately move on, although he notes that the coach has no incentive to retire.
  • ESPN had a similar discussion with the sites AFC East reporters, asking whether the Dolphins should stick with Ryan Tannehill or look for a replacement. The general consensus is that it’s worth giving the quarterback at least one more season, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the organization to begin looking for a successor. Mike Rodak suggests that the Dolphins should pursue a rookie signal-caller in next year’s draft, while Rich Cimini says the organization should be eyeing any acquisition that could make them better long-term.
  • Could Darrelle Revis land with the Dolphins? Florida Football Insiders thinks so, as they cite the team’s efforts to improve via free agency and the veteran cornerback’s familiarity with the division. The writer believes Revis would be an upgrade over players like Byron Maxwell, Tony Lippett, Xavien Howard, and while his age is a concern, he should be a more-than-capable one-year stopgap. Earlier this week, our own Zach Links asked if Revis would even play in 2017, with around 54-percent of you answering “yes.”

AFC Notes: Fins, Jets, Bills, Colts

The Dolphins intend to keep core offensive players together through 2020, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. That group includes quarterback Ryan Tannehill and starting receivers Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins already have Tannehill and Stills locked down and they can effectively say the same for Parker thanks to his fifth-year option and the franchise tag. That just leaves Landry, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season.

More from the AFC:

  • The Jets are holding a private workout Thursday for North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gang Green has three quarterbacks on its roster – Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty – but head coach Todd Bowles indicated Wednesday that the club could select one with the sixth pick. Trubisky might come into play there.
  • The idea that the Bills are preparing to part with general manager Doug Whaley is “erroneous,” owner Terry Pegula told reporters Wednesday (via Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle). Pegula also dismissed the notion that there’s discord between Whaley and rookie head coach Sean McDermott, pointing to their mutual decision to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor as evidence that they’re in lockstep. “That was Doug and Sean working very diligently, digging up everything, directions we could go and what not and the decision was unanimous that we bring Tyrod back with the new contract and we’re all happy with that,” he said.
  • At its core, the Dwayne Allen trade was about accountability for the Colts, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes, but there was more to it. Allen didn’t always live up to his contract, but beyond that, dealing him to the Patriots was also about creating more opportunities for tight ends Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope. “Look, Dwayne Allen was a great pro and a good guy,” GM Chris Ballard said. “That was a really hard decision to make because he’s a great person. But sometimes to let a player take another step, you have to move on from a guy. And I think Swoope’s got a lot of talent. We’ll see. I thought we saw signs of progression last year that were exciting to see. He’s got to take another step. And we’ll see if he does it or not.”
  • Speaking of the Colts, they “will not be timid about moving around in the draft,” according to Ballard, who doesn’t believe the team has enough picks. The Colts are slated to pick seven times, including 15th overall, and “wouldn’t hesitate to trade down” because “that would be something that we think could really benefit us,” Ballard told Kevin Bowen of the team’s website.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Bouye, Texans, Tannehill, Kelly

The Texans are unlikely to place the ~$14.297MM franchise tag on pending free agent A.J. Bouye, which the cornerback understands. “Like my agent told me, it’s about the market value. If you’re not set to make that amount in the franchise tag, then the Texans have to do what they have to do,” Bouye told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “We made some moves last offseason and spent some money. We have guys, other corners, No. 25 [Kareem Jackson], No. 24 [Johnathan Joseph] and No. 30 [Kevin Johnson]. On top of trying to bring me back, they also have to take care of Hopkins, take care of Clowney when his deal is up.” If the Texans don’t tag Bouye, the 25-year-old could price himself off the team on a long-term deal once he reaches the open market. Even though he only has 19 starts to his name, Bouye’s “going to get paid a lot of money” because “everybody in the league knows how good he is,” an NFL personnel department executive informed Wilson.

More from around football (and a relevant baseball note):

  • As expected, the knee injury that sidelined Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill for the tail end of last season, including the team’s wild-card round loss to the Steelers, won’t be a problem going forward. Tannehill is now fully healed from his partially torn ACL/Grade 2 MCL sprain and will be able to participate in the Dolphins’ entire offseason program, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • Because he pleaded guilty to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct in January 2015, former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly isn’t allowed to participate in next week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis. However, Kelly’s agent, Vance McAlister, is still working to land an invitation for his client, details Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today. If that doesn’t happen, Kelly and McAlister might travel to Indy anyway. “We are talking with all the teams that have already expressed interest to see what their thoughts are to make a decision,” said McAlister, who believes Kelly deserves an opportunity to meet with each team and let the clubs decide if he’s worth drafting. “I’ll be the first to tell you, Chad has had to grow up and has made some mistakes because of his immaturity. No question about that,” continued McAlister. “But for me, it’s up to the 32 teams to decide whether he has learned from his mistakes or grown. Nobody would be writing a story or talking about this if Chad didn’t have the talent. And by no means are we trying to justify any of his behavior of what he has done in the past. But that’s for teams to talk to him, ask him the questions and decide.”
  • Onetime NFL defensive back Sanders Commings will attempt to break into Major League Baseball as an outfielder, having agreed to join the Atlanta Braves on a minor league contract, writes Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. The soon-to-be 27-year-old could have taken a shot at a baseball career much earlier, as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 37th round of the 2008 MLB draft, but he instead chose to play football at Georgia. After his time with the Bulldogs ended, Commings went to Kansas City in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 2013. Commings appeared in the only two games of his pro football career that year with the Chiefs, who waived him in December 2015.
  • Jaguars offensive tackle Josh Wellsnew deal is a two-year, $1.52MM pact featuring $75K in guarantees, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.

Ryan Tannehill Unlikely To Need ACL Surgery

Ryan Tannehill‘s offseason recovery timetable shouldn’t result in the Dolphins quarterback missing any regular-season time as a result of his knee injury. He won’t need a full reconstructive surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, noting Tannehill is expected to be fine well before the start of next season.

Tannehill will undergo another MRI today, per Rapoport, but his injured knee is believed to be stable enough the team feels surgery won’t be necessary. The 28-year-old passer injured his knee more than five weeks ago, but Dolphins executive VP Mike Tannenbaum didn’t rule out surgery when discussing this last week, despite the injury having occurred some time ago. Reconstructive surgery would have delayed Tannehill’s recovery process to the point missed games in 2017 were possible after the Dolphins put off this prospect this due to the prospect of a Tannehill return during the 2016 playoffs.

The signal-caller’s MCL has provided more trouble than the partially torn ACL, Rapoport notes, but MCL sprains aren’t surgery-inducing. Tannehill did undergo a Dr. James Andrews-performed healing procedure and may trek to Germany for a form of platelet rich-plasma treatment. And a knee brace will likely come into play for the quarterback moving forward. This said, after “countless” rehab exercises to this point, the Dolphins are preparing to have Tannehill return to work during the offseason.

 

Dolphins Still Mulling Surgery For Ryan Tannehill

Nearly a month into the Dolphins’ offseason, a decision still hasn’t arrived on how to proceed regarding Ryan Tannehill‘s knee. The team did not elect to send its franchise quarterback in for surgery after his late-season knee injury, but that is still on the table despite Tannehill injuring his knee in Week 14, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Tannehill could have undergone surgery in December but was determined to attempt to play for the Dolphins in the playoffs. That did not end up coming to fruition, with longtime backup Matt Moore starting in a blowout wild-card loss to the Steelers. Tannehill practiced twice that week, the only time he returned to the field after the ACL/MCL sprain. But the team didn’t place the passer on IR due to the attempt at a return that could have been damaging long-term, given the reinjury risk, and that’s delayed his offseason timetable.

As Beasley points out, the rehab for an ACL surgery is up to nine months, which would eat into Tannehill’s sixth season. That seems unlikely, but the longer the Dolphins wait would further stall Tannehill’s recovery, in the event he does end up requiring surgery. Dolphins executive VP Mike Tannenbaum said nothing’s been decided yet and dodged a question when asked if Tannehill needed another MRI. This stands to put Tannehill’s offseason workload in question.

The worst-case scenario for Tannehill’s present situation could be Justin Houston, who suffered a late-season knee injury in 2015 before attempting to make a return in the playoffs. Said comeback did not yield much of an impact and helped induce a February surgery, and ultimately a 2016 season marred by knee trouble. While the 28-year-old Tannehill doesn’t play as strenuous of a position, he’s more important to his team. So, this is a situation worth monitoring as the offseason continues.

Extra Points: Stafford, Boldin, Tice, McCoy

As the Dolphins and Steelers do battle, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:

  • Lions quarterback Matt Stafford will not need surgery on his injured right middle finger, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford was excellent for much of the season, but he completed just 58.6% of his passes for four touchdowns and five interceptions after the injury, and he could get nothing going in a frustrating season-ending loss to Seattle last night.
  • Lions WR Anquan Boldin had a nice first season in Detroit, and the 36-year-old wideout, who posted 67 catches for 584 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns, plans to return for his 15th season in the league in 2017, according to Nate Atkins of MLive.com.
  • The contract for Raiders O-line coach Mike Tice is up, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, but Oakland has prioritized bringing him back. That makes sense, as the team is sending three offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl this year.
  • Former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy will apparently not be unemployed for long. Rapoport tweets that McCoy is largely considered the top offensive coordinator available and has been mentioned as many teams’ offensive coordinator of choice.
  • Even if the Dolphins were to pull off the upset in Pittsburgh this afternoon, the team is not counting on Ryan Tannehill to return next week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Tannehill was, at least, able to practice on Friday.
  • Ohio State WR Noah Brown will enter the NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The 6-2, 218-pound wideout had a breakout year for the Buckeyes, and is currently projected to be selected in the second or third round of the draft.
  • In a series of articles, OverTheCap.com offers a preview of the strongest and weakest offensive positions in this year’s free agent class, examines which linebackers could become cap casualties, and projects the 2017 compensatory picks.

Dolphins Release DE Jason Jones

The Dolphins announced that they have released defensive end Jason Jones. Jones recently returned from suspension. Jason Jones (vertical)

[RELATED: Dolphins To Release DL Mario Williams This Offseason]

Miami decided this week that they would not be using Jones in the first-round playoff game against the Steelers, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. It’s possible that Jones reacted poorly to that news, because the Dolphins have decided they do not want to have Jones around at all. Jones, 30, appeared in ten Dolphins games this season. He posted 2.5 sacks, 23 tackles, and a fumble recovery. With Jones out, Mario Williams will play Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, in another surprising development, quarterback Ryan Tannehill returned to practice today. Previous reports indicated that Tannehill would definitely not play this weekend, but today’s news could open the door slightly to that possibility. At minimum, it’s a promising sign for his availability going forward, should Miami win this weekend.

Ryan Tannehill Won’t Start For Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out for this week’s game, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). In his place, Matt Moore will get the start. "<strong

This week, coach Adam Gase said that the team would only have to get Tannehill on the field for one practice session in order for him to start, at the same time, he admitted they were running out of time to make that happen. Today’s news was somewhat expected for Miami, but it’s still disappointing. This year, Tannehill bounced back from a slow start and performed like a top ten quarterback once he got into a rhythm. In his 13 games this season, Tannehill completed a career-high 67.1% of his passes with 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He finished out the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 13 ranked QB, several spots ahead of Sunday’s opposing signal caller, Ben Roethlisberger.

Moore, 32, has 28 regular season starts on his resume. In his five games and three starts this year, he has completed 55 of 87 passes (63.2%) with eight touchdowns against three interceptions.

Latest On Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill

Dolphins coach Adam Gase says Ryan Tannehill won’t practice today (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com). If he gets one day of practice, that will be enough for Miami to play him on Sunday. However, Gase admits the Dolphins “may run out of time this week” (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Ryan Tannehill (vertical)

[RELATED: Dolphins To Release DL Mario Williams]

Miami’s original plan was to bring Tannehill back for Week 17 against the Patriots, but they decided to play it safe since they already had a 92% chance of making the postseason. With the ultra-tough Steelers on the docket, however, the Fins are eager to get their No. 1 QB back.

Tannehill was able to shed the cast on his injured leg some time ago, so he is at least moving in the right direction. Initially feared to be an ACL tear, Tannehill is dealing with an ACL/MCL sprain. That’s no walk in the park, but not as grim as it could be.

In his 13 games this season, Tannehill has completed a career-high 67.1% of his passes with 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. If Tannehill is unable to go, quarterback Matt Moore will start in his place.

Ryan Tannehill Could Return For Postseason?

The Dolphins are almost assured of making the playoffs as a AFC Wild Card team — FiveThirtyEight gives Miami a 92% chance of earning a postseason berth after yesterday’s win over the Bills — and quarterback Ryan Tannehill could potentially return in time for a Super Bowl run, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Tannehill has shed his cast from his injured left leg, and there is “real reason for optimism” that the Dolphins signal-caller could come back “at some point” during the tournament.Ryan Tannehill

[RELATED: Mario Williams Not Considering Retirement]

Miami’s orginal plan was to consider Tannehill for Week 17 against the Patriots, but the Dolphins could clinch a playoff berth without beating New England — should the Broncos lose to the Chiefs tonight — so that would seemingly provide an extra week of rest while Miami prepares for what would be its first playoff game in eight years. However, news last week painted a grim picture for a Tannehill return, with his MCL injury being more severe than initially believed.

Backup quarterback Matt Moore has played well in two starts in relief of Tannehill, throwing six touchdowns against two interceptions while leading the Dolphins to consecutive victories. Still, Miami would surely prefer to turn back to Tannehill if he can return for a Wild Card weekend matchup against either the Steelers (the likely AFC North winner) or the Texans.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.