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After being taken No. 1 overall in 2008, Jake Long stepped in at left tackle for the Miami Dolphins and was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four NFL seasons. He signed a four-year, $34 million deal with the St. Louis Rams in March of 2013, with the idea he would help stabilize the team’s offensive line. But Long missed the final game of the 2013 season with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, then missed nine games last season after tearing the same ACL.
Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher indicated last December that he wasn’t sure Long wanted to continue playing, and even in a best-case scenario a pay cut was in store for the former first overall pick. A contract restructuring did not occur though, and St. Louis released Long in March. As could be expected, with a fairly lengthy injury history that dates back to his last few years with the Dolphins, Long remains available as OTAs get going around the league.
New York Giants left tackle Will Beatty suffered a torn pectoral muscle lifting weights recently, and according to Tom Rock of Newsday he will undergo surgery that will sideline him for five months. That means Beatty is in line to miss at least the first half of the 2015 season, which will likely leave this year’s first-round pick (Ereck Flowers) or 2013 first-rounder Justin Pugh as the top two candidates to protect Eli Manning’s blindside.
The Giants’ offensive line depth will now be stretched further, which is a big concern. Free agent signing Marshall Newhouse had been penciled in as the primary backup at both tackle spots, with starting right guard Geoff Schwartz and this year’s seventh-round pick (Bobby Hart) as other viable options at tackle.
It’s no surprise that the Giants may start looking for some reinforcements along the offensive line, and the Newark Star-Ledger has speculated they could have interest in Long. There are surely significant flaws with any player that is available at this point in the offseason, due to injuries or other issues, but I think signing Long would be a low-risk move that the Giants need to strongly consider making.
No other teams are known to have any interest in Long since the Rams cut him, so if the Giants give any thought to signing him they would be his lone suitor. That puts the Giants in a position to dictate contract terms, while guaranteeing Long nothing beyond an opportunity to earn a roster spot.
Since Long is going to have to settle for little (if any) guaranteed money in a contract, the Giants should feel good about taking a flier on a potentially Pro Bowl-caliber offensive tackle. That of course assumes Long can get back to full strength in time for training camp, and his comments from early this month about wanting to continue his career hold up through the summer.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
