Ryan Tannehill Believed to Have Torn ACL

The Miami Dolphins believe that quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals were involved in a rainy, messy affair in NFL Week 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. After mishaps by both teams marred the first quarter, though, the home team was able to pull ahead. While nurturing a solid lead on their field, though, the Dolphins suffered a blow that might be tough to recover from regarding quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

About midway through the second half, Tannehill dropped back to pass. In the meantime, Cardinals star defensive lineman Calais Campbell was coming up the middle. As he went to get after Tannehill, though, he seemed to either trip or get pushed a bit towards the ground. The result of that plus his forward momentum was Campbell essentially diving at the quarterback’s legs.

With a gruesome looking hit, the Cardinals star hit Tannehill square in front of the knee. It looked horrible and the quarterback reacted as such. He dropped to the ground following the hit and didn’t get up for quite a while:

Tannehill went to the sideline and was evaluated where he was almost immediately ruled out for the rest of the game. Matt Moore entered the game in relief and, despite an Arizona comeback attempt, led the Dolphins to a crucial victory. Unfortunately, this was all with a somber Tannehill on the sideline fighting tears.

As reports begin to come out regarding his injury, you can see why that would be his demeanor. According to reports from multiple outlets, the Dolphins believe that Ryan Tannehill tore his ACL on the play. Obviously that would end his 2016 season:

There’s no official diagnosis yet as the quarterback will undergo further tests on Monday. However, given the hit and ensuing events, a torn ACL seems likely to be the injury.

Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft Full First Round

Obviously this is hard to see for a young player that seemed close to hitting his stride and becoming a leader for this Miami team. However, it’s also hugely hurtful to the Dolphins moving forward. After all, the win over Arizona keeps them alive and well in the Wild Card standings. Without Tannehill, though, it’s going to be a tough stretch to finish the season.

Update

It was announced on Monday that he has a sprained ACL, still effectively putting him on the shelf. However, this much improves his status moving forward into next season.