Ben Roethlisberger expected to be out 4-6 weeks after surgery for a torn meniscus

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent successful arthroscopic surgery Monday morning in his left knee. Roethlisberger is expected to make a full recovery.

“Though we do not know a specific timetable for when he will be able to return to the field, we are confident this injury is not long-term,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement.

The latest report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen puts Roethlisberger’s recovery at 4-6 weeks:

Roethlisberger suffered the injury in the Steelers’ 30-15 road loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Following the game, he told reporters he was “optimistic,” but an MRI Sunday night determined that Roethlisberger would need surgery to correct the issue.

The injury occurred during the second quarter, but Roethlisberger returned to the field after being examined by medical staff in the locker room.

A torn meniscus does not always require surgical repair. The extent of the repair necessary and the timetable for recovery will depend on the severity of the tear. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the procedure was only expected to be a clean up of his meniscus, rather than a full repair, so it’s possible Roethlisberger won’t miss much time.

Roethlisberger missed four games last season with a sprained MCL in his left knee. In his absence, the Steelers turned to Landry Jones and Michael Vick to fill in, and the Steelers managed to go 3-1 in his absence. This season, the Steelers will look to Jones and Zach Mettenberger to take over until Roethlisberger is cleared to return.

The Steelers face the Patriots next Sunday, and then they hit the bye week. When they return, they’ll travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, followed by games against the Cowboys and Browns.