Yesterday was a rollercoaster ride for the Miami Dolphins regarding the status of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, unfortunately ending on a sour note last night. There has also been an update on the status of New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard and the Baltimore Ravens signed a veteran tackle.
Tannehill now feared to likely need surgery
Sources have informed ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington that the Miami Dolphins fear that Ryan Tannehill will likely have to have season-ending knee surgery.
However, no decision has been made yet and the team, medical staff, and quarterback are reviewing all options. It is possible that Tannehill could sit six to eight weeks to let his knee heal to try to come back and play.
Apparently, the team is growing increasingly concerned the surgery will be the only viable option. One source told the ESPN duo that since Tannehill never had surgery for his partially torn ACL from his injury last December, his knee has been a “ticking time bomb.” Backup Matt Moore will now step into the starting role, although the team may weight bringing in Colin Kaepernick or Jay Cutler.
Sterling Shepard will be fine following scare
During Thursday's practice, New York Giants receiver Sterling Shepard went down with an ankle injury and had to be carted off the field, with the team fearing the worst. However, after an MRI and extensive tests, the second-year play only has a rolled ankle. The initial tests showed Shepard had a sprained ankle, but the team wanted to wait for swelling to go down before officially announcing his status.
Ravens sign Austin Howard
The Baltimore Ravens have signed veteran right tackle Austin Howard, who was released by the Oakland Raiders on July 28th. The 30-year-old will now compete with fourth-year player James Hurst for the starting right tackle job.
Adding Howard gives the Ravens much-needed experience, as Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda was their only offensive lineman who had started more than 13 career games in the NFL.
On top of that, the Ravens lost rookie fourth-round pick Nico Siragusa to a devastating knee injury three days ago. They also lost their likely starting center John Urschel, who surprisingly retired about a week ago at age 26. Howard had spent his last three seasons with the Raiders, playing in 40 games and starting 39 of them. Prior to that, he was the New York Jets starter for two years, never missing a game with them.