Ryan Tannehill Throws Rookie RB Kalen Ballage out of Huddle for Mistake

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill relied on some tough love for rookie running back Kalen Ballage.

ESPN.com's Cameron Wolfe reported Tannehill "temporarily stopped practice" and told Ballage to leave the team's huddle during practice after Ballage blew a blocking assignment.

Wolfe noted Ballage's mistake led to a sack for Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris.

Dolphins head coach Adam Gase supported Tannehill's tactic.

"I would have been upset if I was him because he knows what the result in a game would have been," Gase said. "It would have been painful for him, for sure. He was in the right, kind of making an example there. When he does things like that, for our offense, it's a good thing."

Tannehill's torn ACL may have been at the forefront of his mind when he saw Harris bearing down on him in the pocket. The 30-year-old passer missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

The Dolphins selected Ballage in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains praised his work on the practice field in June, even highlighting his pass-blocking.

"The obvious thing is what you guys see," Loggains said of Ballage, per the Palm Beach Post's Joe Schad. "When he walks through the door, you draw them up like that. He’s big, he’s good in protection, can catch the ball, can be a matchup issue in the passing game."

Apparently, it only takes one gaffe to draw the ire of Tannehill, though, and it's doubtful Ballage will make the same mistake again.