Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill sustained a sprained ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) in his left knee Sunday against Arizona that won't require surgery, coach Adam Gase said Monday.
Gase, who feared Tannehill had sustained a much more serious injury, said the Dolphins haven't come up with a treatment plan for the team's fifth-year starter, and don't have a timetable for his return.
Typically, a sprained ACL or sprained MCL might take between two to four weeks of recovery depending on the severity of the injury. It could be longer. It's unclear whether spraining both ligaments at the same time extends the recovery period.
Gase, the former Chicago offensive coordinator, was asked whether he's ever lost a starting quarterback midseason. He mentioned he lost Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury last year and then brought the situation back around to Tannehill.
"This is a different situation," Gase said. "It's not going to be one game. It'll be longer than that. I don't know an exact timetable, but it's going to be longer than that."
While Gase hasn't ruled out Tannehill playing at some point in the final three games, the Dolphins are preparing for backup quarterback Matt Moore to start on Saturday night against the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.
Gase admitted that diagnosis on Tannehill, who was injured late in the third quarter of Sunday's 26-23 victory over Arizona, is "better than we thought yesterday" later adding "When he left the stadium it didn't look good."
But in the end it's a small bit of good news.
"I was happy for him," Gase said of Tannehill's diagnosis. "That is a long injury to come back from and rehab. I don't know if I have been around anyone as tough as him. He's taken a lot of shots since I've been here and bounced back."
Tannehill was sacked 213 times since 2012, the most of any quarterback during that time but he'd never missed a start.
Tannehill is expected to be OK for offseason workouts.
"I'd be shocked if he can't do anything in the offseason," Gase said.
Entering the season Moore, who is 13-12 in his career as a starter, was 16 of 30 passing for 219 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Dolphins from 2012 to 2015.
Moore's wife was scheduled to give birth to the couple's third child Monday. Gase, at the time of his news conference, said he wasn't sure where Moore was right then.
"He's not in the building, I know that," Gase said with a smile.
