Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill confirms grade II MCL sprain
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins don’t know when or if they will get Ryan Tannehill back this season but they do know a little more about his injury.
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Speaking after the game, Tannehill confirmed what ProFootballTalk.com had reported earlier. That he has a Grade II MCL sprain. So what does that mean? Well for starters it means that he is in a lot of pain. Tannehill confirmed that he is in a leg cast and will be for the foreseeable future.
A Grade II sprain means that the tear is only partial. Over time an MCL will repair itself if it is only torn. Unlike an ACL which can not. And therein lies one of the problems. His ACL is partially torn as well. Despite the tear, most can run and cut on a partial tear but it could lead to future problems and be more susceptible to injury down the road.
Tannehill could return by week 17 or potentially for the playoffs but it’s unclear if he will be able to do that or not. Or if the team wants to risk losing him for an extended period of time in 2017 should he damage the knee more. For now the Dolphins are taking a wait and see approach to how well his MCL heals.
The Dolphins could opt to put Tannehill on IR and Tannehill and the team could opt to do surgery to repair the ACL and MCL tears. While it’s not necessary at this time, surgery shouldn’t keep him out of next years training camp because it would be a surgery designed to help repair since it’s not a complete tear.
Miami played very well in Tannehill’s absence on Saturday night against the Jets but the Dolphins still must win at least one of their final two games to have a shot at the playoffs. They face the Bills next Saturday and the Patriots the following Sunday to wrap the regular season.