Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, who has missed Miami's last 20 games due to left knee injuries, got knocked on his butt during Wednesday's practice. And he was slow to get up.
As it turned out there was no major concern. Tannehill, who, such as every other NFL quarterback, isn't supposed to be hit during practice, just got his leg stepped on by center Daniel Kilgore.
But as Tannehill was on the ground for a second or two no one was sure what to think.
"I wasn't sure what happened," coach Adam Gase said. "I just saw a couple of bodies there. It turned out he got some cleats to the shin."
The play was a reminder that danger lurks with every training camp play.
Tannehill's pass in the 11-on-11 red-zone drill was intercepted by linebacker Kiko Alonso and taken 100 yards the other way for a touchdown.
But Tannehill, who hasn't played in a game since December 2016, never saw the play end.
Tannehill was unintentionally knocked to the ground either by Kilgore, who seemingly backed into him and then stepped on his leg as he went to the ground, or by defensive end Cameron Wake, who was rushing from his left defensive end spot. Tannehill, Kilgore and Wake were all on the ground in the backfield.
Gase, speaking to the media right after practice, wasn't sure what happened on the play. And he wasn't sure whether it was the first time Tannehill has hit the ground since that hit by Calais Campbell, who is now with Jacksonville but was playing for Arizona at that time, in December 2016.
"I can't say for sure," Gase said about Tannehill being knocked to the ground.
"But I think there's been a couple of other times, not this spring, but last spring and training camp a couple of times before he got hurt, he kind of got hit a little bit and knocked to the ground."
The bottom line is Tannehill is OK, and he'll be under center for Thursday's practice.
