Dolphins vs. Panthers: Ryan Tannehill Set to Start in Second Preseason Game

Ryan Tannehill is set to make his first NFL start Friday night for the Miami Dolphins as they go up against the Carolina Panthers. Dick Stockton of The Palm Beach Post broke the story Friday morning.

Joe Philbin, the Dolphins’ head coach, will also likely make his starting quarterback decision after seeing Tannehill in action with the starting unit.

Jeff Darlington of NFL.com confirmed these reports in a tweet:

"

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill will indeed start tonight, team source says. Philbin would like to have regular-season starter after this game.

— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) August 17, 2012"

Tannehill, 24, is a converted wide receiver who played quarterback for one-and-a-half seasons at Texas A&M before being selected with the eighth pick in 2012 NFL draft. His size, athleticism and strong arm were the selling points for the Dolphins, who have not had a consistent starting QB since Dan Marino retired in 1999.

While Tannehill was not expected to be ready to start right away, he has already shown he may be the best option for the Dolphins after the first three weeks of training camp. 

Reports from this offseason have been indicative of the results Tannehill is yielding on the field.

Prior to the start of training camp, Tannehill mastered the offensive playbook and began teaching and facilitating the learning of it to his veteran teammates, according to Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports.

After one practice under his belt, he was already drawing praise from his coaching staff and local media. An AP report on ESPN.com described his early progress.

"I thought he'd be a little bit rusty today, but I thought he was pretty much on task on just about everything he did," said Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, Tannehill's college coach at Texas A&M. "He didn't seem to miss a beat."

In his first NFL action, Tannehill stole the show, albeit against the second string of a bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, completing 14 of 21 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Friday night’s performance against the Panthers will be a true measuring stick for how far along he really is and how ready he is to take on NFL-caliber defenses on a week-to-week basis.

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