Miami Dolphins quarterback David Garrard will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks.
The recovery timetable likely takes Garrard out of the competition to win the starting job for the season opener in four weeks against returning starter Matt Moore and first-round pick Ryan Tannehill.
Garrard, 34, started for Jacksonville from 2005 to 2010. He underwent back surgery in October and sat out last season, then signed with Miami in March.
Tannehill, the No. 8 overall pick out of Texas A&M, was 14-for-21 for 167 yards and a touchdown but the Dolphins lost to Tampa Bay, 20-7, in Miami on Friday.
BENSON TO PACKERS?
Free agent running back Cedric Benson reportedly will sign with the Green Bay Packers, who may be looking to boost their depth at running back.
The No. 4 overall pick out of Texas in 2005, Benson spent this first three seasons with the Chicago Bears and the past four with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Benson ran for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons.
TEBOW’S JETS DEBUT
Tim Tebow passed for 27 yards on 4-for-8 accuracy with an interception in his debut with the Jets in the 17-6 exhibition loss at Cincinnati.
Tebow led the Jets to a field goal but his passer rating was 18.2. He also scrambled three times for 34 yards, avoiding sacks each time.
“I liked the poise he showed,” coach Rex Ryan said.
OTHER EXHIBITIONS
Alex Smith tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brett Swain on the opening possession, backup Colin Kaepernick ran 78 yards for a score on the next and the 49ers breezed past Minnesota, 17-6, in San Francisco. … The Jaguars erased a 17-point deficit in the first half to beat the Giants, 32-31, in Jacksonville, Fla. … Jeff Wolfert kicked a 45-yard field goal with 28 seconds to go to lift Cleveland to a 19-17 win at Detroit. … Running back Jamaal Charles, who had season-ending surgery on his left knee in September, took a solid hit to the area on his first carry but bounced right up in the Chiefs’ 27-17 win over Arizona in Kansas City, Mo. Charles had 12 yards on three carries and caught one pass for 11 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
Guard Travelle Wharton, linebacker Rey Maualauga and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, all starters for the Bengals, left practice because of injuries to their right knees. … Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi left the game against Detroit with a concussion. … U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan questioning the fairness of the bounty investigation of the Saints, said the season-long suspension of linebacker Jonathan Vilma was excessive, then held off on making any rulings while urging all sides to settle the matter on their own. The judge could potentially rule at any time on Vilma’s request to be allowed to temporarily return to the Saints while the case proceeds. … Former NFL linebacker Eric Naposki, who played for the Patriots and Colts in the late 1980s, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for murdering his lover’s wealthy boyfriend nearly two decades ago in California.
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