Jalen Ramsey update: Everything we know about the Miami Dolphins CB's injury
By Brian Miller
Miami Dolphins star cornerback Jalen Ramsey was injured on Thursday and will undergo surgery on Friday. Ramsey hurt his knee late in practice and was taken off the field by cart.
Was the cart needed or wanted?
The images of a player being taken off a field by cart is not something that instills hope in anyone but we learned that after the injury Ramsey did not leave the field immediately. In fact, one report said that he watched the end of practice before the trainers called the cart to take him in.
Later in the evening, we learned what Ramsey's injury is.
Ramsey, according to reports tore his meniscus in his left knee. This is better news than having torn an MCL or ACL for obvious reasons. The meniscus is a disc-like membrane that cushions the knee. It is made of cartilage and helps stabilize the knee but more importantly, it acts as a cushion for the bone. Many people tear their meniscus and don't know it until much later. Stiffness and pain along with mild to severe swelling can be seen depending on how bad the tear is.
In Ramsey's situation, the MRI did not reveal the extent of the tear and surgeons will determine what the best treatment will be to repair it.
There are two option to repair Jalen Ramsey's knee.
Option one is the best course of action for a quicker return. The surgeon will simply remove part of the tear should it be mild. Consider it like a trimming where the loose part of the meniscus is removed.
This is done if the tear is minor and further work isn't necessary.
Option two is suturing the meniscus back in place. In this case, more of the meniscus was torn either completely or a large portion of it. In that case, doctors will anchor the meniscus back in place using dissolving sutures.
Recovery depends on Ramsey and what the doctors do in surgery.
Jalen Ramsey's recovery time has been reported to be as little as 6-8 weeks to several months. The latest report last night had him potentially out until late December and returning to make a potential season-ending run with the team.
If December turns out to be the timetable, the surgeons will almost certainly need to stitch and anchor the meniscus and/or found more issues than the MRI showed.
If the doctors determine that trimming the meniscus is all that is needed, Ramsey could be back by late September and some believe he could potentially return earlier depending on how much is removed.
Regardless, the prognosis is much better than it could have been.
No one is happy or thrilled with the news of Ramsey going down but on the upside, his injury is quite minor compared to what it could have been. Rehab won't be overly difficult and is more or less recovery without further damaging or tearing the work being done. In other words, if his knee is sutured, Ramsey wants to be certain he doesn't tear them out.
What happens next?
For now, Miami Dolphins fans and the team are in a holding pattern until the surgery is complete and at that point we will have an idea on when Ramsey could return to the field. Could he miss the entire season? That is always a possibility with knee injuries but that would be the extreme.