Dolphins camp preview: Ryan Tannehill and his knee

Ryan Tannehill has become the face of the Miami Dolphins because they want him to be. Come July and August we will find out if his knee is up to the task.

You can not talk about Ryan Tannehill without talking about his knee. Social media continues to be the “great divide” when it comes to the quarterback that the Miami Dolphins want you to love. This years training camp is going to be one for the ages.

No other player on the Miami Dolphins roster is going to be scrutinized more and frankly that has been the case since Tannehill arrived in 2012. Tannehill has been dogged because the Dolphins didn’t do more to lose more and land Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin, III. Later Tannehill wasn’t Russell Wilson.

Tannehill was to many, another Jeff Ireland mistake. An appeased draft pick for Joe Philbin and OC Mike Sherman but rumors circulated in the years after that Philbin didn’t want Tannehill. That only served to increase the conflicting debates.

Over the years Tannehill has improved as a quarterback but in 2016 he was playing his best football as a pro. That is when he hurt his knee and his knee became topic number one. He missed all of 2017 after having surgery following the re-injury early in camp but still the Dolphins put his face out front.

Tannehill is the right guy for this team and his maturity level has improved since Adam Gase arrived. Last year he had the rare chance to sit back and watch, learn, and formulate everything in his head. Tannehill is not a stupid football player.

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Entering camp the long passes and the accuracy will be scrutinized as much as the pivots, turns, cuts, and breaks, that his knee undergoes. Every time his foot sticks in the turf, people will wonder. Making matters more dire to some is the fact Miami’s back-up options are Bryce Petty, Brock Osweiller, and David Fales.

However.

Tannehill isn’t the first football player to come back from an ACL surgery and he has been running full speed for months. His knee should be fine. Mentally Tannehill is strong as well and that too should not be a concern.

Expect some early rust especially when the pads come on for the first time. Expect some delivery issues as he gets back into the swing of things but I don’t expect that to last long. Tannehill has a very good supporting cast and his best offensive line since arriving in the league. This can not be understated.

If Tannehill can have the confidence in his knee to run the football, he is going to be very dangerous and that will pose additional problems for defenses.

Overall Tannehill should have a good training camp and I expect most of his detractors will be quieted by the time the regular season rolls around but let’s not forget, what happens in camp is not chalking wins in September. In other words, expect the divide and debate to continue all season.